


The First Days On Earth

by ReynardFox531



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Gen, Luna and Artemis arrive on Earth, Missing Scene, The Beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 21:58:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2084601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReynardFox531/pseuds/ReynardFox531
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What was it like for Luna and Artemis when they first woke up?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening: Luna

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters within it. Those belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do not make any money off of this whatsoever. I do however own any original characters within these stories.
> 
> Author’s Note: This story bridges some gaps which strangely have never seemingly been covered before to my knowledge. Also note that much of this involves my own headcanon, though I have done my best to keep everyone informed when it pops up. This story, like my other one, is a copy of the one I have posted to FF.net. I thought it might be good to include a copy here as well.

Chapter 1: Awakening: Luna

 

The first thing she knew was dizziness. Dizziness and sleepiness, as she crawled out of the strange pod she’d been stuck in. Her legs wobbled as she took those first few steps. Where was she? Who was she? What happened?  
  
Grass brushed her ankles. She was in some sort of clearing, near the edge of a thick forest. No buildings or artificial structures could be seen anywhere in the immediate vicinity. Before she could observe any further, her rubbery legs gave out, forcing her to lie on the grass. Her stomach was doing summersaults, and she lay there for several moments. She opened her mouth to dry and speak, but found it bone dry. Water, she needed water.  
  
A cursory sniff told her there was water nearby. She willed herself to her feet, though her legs still shook erratically. Slowly but steady, she made her way into the forest. After a torturous walk, she finally came to a lake hidden amongst the trees.  
  
It was perhaps the most beautiful thing she’d seen since her awakening. She moved her way to the edge and drew her head down, lapping at the water greedily to sooth her throat.

  
Her head pulled back out once she’d had her fill, her mouth dripping all over. A sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes were then drawn to an image in the water. She saw her reflection. She was a cat, a black cat to be precise. And there on her forehead was a yellow crescent moon. Though the crescent was wrong, for the inner edge was facing up rather than sideways. And yet, it didn’t seem wrong at all to her.  
  
 _A crescent moon…_

 

* * *

 

_A woman was standing over her, holding a scepter of some kind that ended in a large crescent. They were all in a large room of some sort. There was no sound now, save for the heartbeat of the woman before her, and the heartbeat of another beside her. But in this place, in this strange vision, she could not turn her head._  
  
The woman raised her scepter, and Luna observed her. She was garbed in a dress of flowing white, complimented by equally flowing silver hair which almost reached the floor, and held up in a strange style, with two balls atop her head, with the rest of it loose. Even stranger was her face, or rather her lack of face. It was as if fog had formed a mask over the woman’s features.  
  
“By the power granted to me as queen of the Moon by the Silver Crystal,” spoke the woman, “I, Serenity the Twelfth, grant you two, Luna and Artemis of Mau, the status of advisors to the Lunar throne, and as such bestow upon you the mark of the royal house, passed down through my family.”  
  
The scepter is held up high, and there is a flash of light. Luna feels something on her forehead, a building of heat and a crackle of electricity through her skin. But strangely it is not painful. When the light fades, Luna can feel something new on her forehead, and though she cannot see it, she knows the crescent moon is there.  
  
Her neck turns automatically, caught in this long lost memory, so that she sees the being next to her, whose heartbeat had been ringing in her ears. It is another cat, like her, one she instinctively knows is male, and who is named Artemis. But unlike her, his fur is snow white, with eyes of blue. He smiles at her, and she can feel herself smiling back.  
  
The woman is bending down to them, and the attention of both cats is drawn to her.  
  
“Congratulations you two.”  
  
“The honor is all ours,” replies Artemis with a bow.  
  
“Actually,” replies the queen with a restrained laugh, “the honor should be mine, for allowing me to place my royal symbol on so sacred a place as the focal point of your power.”  
  
“We were happy to let you do it,” replied Luna, heat rushing to her face. “We could think of no one more deserving Your Majesty. And we shall serve you always.”  


* * *

  
Luna was pulled back to reality with a jolt. She remembered now, the Queen, the palace, the invasion, and her escape with Artemis in the pods Queen Serenity put them in.  
  
Luna turned her head to the blue sky, and spots a silvery orb hovering in it, though it was quite faint. Even without the aid of a telescope, she knew that it was the face of the Moon. She was on Earth.  
  
The Moon Kingdom had fallen. Queen Serenity was dead. The very idea made Luna want to retch, if she’d had anything in her stomach. But if she was here, where was Artemis? She hadn’t seen his pod nearby, and she didn’t smell him. Luna attempted to reach out to him telepathically, but that just resulted in a headache that sent her to the ground.  
  
“Clearly I haven’t recovered,” she whispered through the throbbing in her skull. Her body was still weak from being brought out from stasis. For the time being, she would simply have to rest. Finding Artemis would have to wait until she was strong enough to mentally or physically search for him.  
  
So after the pain in her skull faded, Luna went back to the pod. It was too small to serve as a permanent home, resting out in the open as it was, but it would work for now as a shelter. Her belly gave a small grumble, but Luna ignored it as she lay down in the grass beside the vehicle. She wasn’t that hungry yet, so she could let her body rest. Rest would do well if she would need to acquire her own food, which was all but certain at this point.  
  
She let out a yawn. It was strange that she was sleepy after spending who knew how long in the sleep of stasis, but Luna supposed that wasn’t a normal form of sleep. Her eyelids drooped, and she felt herself slipping off into that strange land of dreams. Yes, rest would do her good. And the grass and earth below felt so soft and warm…  


* * *

  
Luna had slept much of the day, for the Sun was beginning to set when she woke up. By that point, her hunger had grown to the point that it couldn’t be ignored. So Luna went back into the forest to look for food. It felt strange for her to be hunting food on her own, both difficult and nostalgic all at once. While the planet of Mau was advanced enough for food to be grown and regularly available in markets, hunting was still practiced by quite a few cats. And Luna had spent several years of her youth hunting with her parents and friends.  
  
After becoming advisor to the Queen Serenity, she’d never needed to search for her own food, having access to all of the royal chefs. Still, those old skills didn’t seem totally lost, because after a few misses, she managed to catch quite a few forest mice as a solid dinner. She had to psychically examine the specimens before taking them with her, making sure there weren’t any bacterium that might prove averse to her. That was a skill she also rarely employed, but she needed to try in absence of the tools to cook her prey.  
  
As the Sun continued to slip down into the horizon, Luna lay on the grass by the pod, finishing off her meal, which wasn’t too bad she had to admit. It certainly didn’t compare to the grand cuisine from the royal kitchens, but it wasn’t too bad.  
  
The whole thing required so much adjusting. Never in all her years would she have thought she’d be living outside of civilization like some sort of castaway. And yet here she was, hunting for her food again and eating raw meat rather than dining off the dishes of the royal family, and sleeping in a small pod or on ground. For all the softness and warmth of the ground, she missed sleeping in the large bed Serenity had put in her private quarters. “I suppose I was rather spoiled wasn’t I?” she mused. “But there are no such luxuries here, and no use in crying over old comforts.”  
  
Looking at the sky, she smiled. The sunsets on Earth were magnificent, a rich explosion of colors that eventually gave way to glittering stars and the silver glow of the Moon. It made up for the lack of a proper bed as she curled up inside the pod for the night.  


* * *

  
The next day, after catching herself some breakfast, Luna decided to take inventory of what she had and her options.

  
She still found herself unable to psychically connect with Artemis. Whenever she tried she got a headache, though not as severe as the first time. She might need to physically search for him soon. Luna remembered Queen Serenity placing items inside the stasis pods before she sent her and Artemis off. She needed to see exactly what she had.

  
She found something under the bottom cushion, the miniaturizing storage device that had been left in the great Vault in the lower levels of the palace. Pressing the button, she saw it expand, revealing multiple drawers, further dividing the cargo.  
  
The first drawer she opened up revealed a cylindrical object she recognized as the camouflage device the Moon had been working on. Its ability to change the appearance of the user could be useful if Luna needed to hide.  
  
The second drawer made her heart catch in her throat. Sitting on the cushioned lining was the transformation wand of Sailor Mercury. Its neighbor held the wand of Sailor Venus. Following that was the wand of Sailor Mars, and following that was Sailor Jupiter. The wands of power for those four individuals who served as a personal guard for the Lunar princess. She felt ill as she noted the dried blood on each of them, probably the last physical remnants of their owners. Serenity must have pulled them from the battlefield.  
  
The next compartment was a more curious item. It was not a wand, but rather a circular object, decorated with a crescent moon with four jewels around it at the cardinal points. It almost looked like a piece of jewelry, but Luna could sense the magical energy coming off of it, energy similar to the Silver Crystal, but not the Crystal itself. It was a transformation device.  
  
“But whose…” she started, only to have her words silenced as a memory came flooding back to her.

 

* * *

  
 _Beneath the palace, there was the Vault, the storehouse of all sorts of devices, both benevolent and weapons of war, items too dangerous to store anywhere else. And today, it is a cold place, and Luna shivers. She is once again with Artemis and Queen Serenity. The Vault’s heating system had broken down two days ago, and the repair process has been compounded by ever growing issues._  
  
Queen Serenity had come down to oversee the repairs, and naturally, Luna and Artemis had followed. There were too many valuable things here, too many things that could be damaged by the ever colder winter this year. Truly it was one to rival the long winters of Mercury. Luna wishes for a moment she kept her fur longer. Perhaps Her Majesty could help her acquire a sweater?  
  
But this Luna of memory brings herself to focus on the task at hand, which is assisting the queen in her oversight. She could not let herself appear weak.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Luna can see Artemis conversing with one of the other workers. Luna turns her attention to the various storage compartments around her. Despite the name suggesting one large space, the Vault was actually made up of multiple floors, each with sets of separate storage rooms, all of them indexed. Currently they are on the floor second to the bottom. At the far end of this floor, Luna sees a storage space whose number she doesn’t recognize.  
  
As one of the royal advisors, Luna and Artemis are kept up to date on all the items that are developed or stored here. She thinks hard, but the number is still unfamiliar. And Luna remembers all of the others, and their contents. She cannot allow such an oversight to go uncorrected.  
  
Luna turns to look at the queen, who has just finished speaking with another of the workers, having sent him back to his task. Serenity looks down at Luna. Or at least, her head tilts down in that direction. Once again, her face is encased in fog, making its contours impossible to see. 

__  
“Is something the matter Luna? You seem confused.” She sounds tired. She has been overseeing the repair work floor by floor for quite some time today, and that was after other duties of state.  
  
“Your Majesty” asks Luna, “what is in that storage space over there?” She points at it with her paw. “I do not recall seeing that particular number before.”  
  
The queen’s head turns in the direction Luna is pointing. “Oh, that,” she replies distractedly. “That is where the Sailor Moon transformation device is kept, along with the prototype.”  
  
“Sailor Moon?” Luna’s jaw hung open for a few seconds in a most undignified manner before she managed to snap it closed. “The Moon created a guardian as well?” The very idea of a warrior powered by the might the Silver Crystal…  
  
“Yes. When the transformation devices were being created, the Moon too worked on creating one powered by the Silver Crystal. First came the functional prototype, and then came the true device. Once it was finished, a member of the royal family was meant to be chosen to use it, but before that could be done, peace was established under the Treaty of the Silver Millennium.”  
  
Luna nodded in understanding. “And with the Moon as leader, there would not have been a real need to arm such a soldier.”  
  
“Correct,” replied the queen. “But the devices are still kept here in case anything dire should happen.”  


* * *

  
Luna is brought back into the present. “Sailor Moon…” she whispers. The Queen placed this device into the pod with her. But there hadn’t been a Sailor Moon. Or had there? Luna’s memories were so broken, for every bit of information she could remember, it was accompanied by countless holes. Little details were missing everywhere. But surely Serenity would not have included it if she hadn’t meant for Luna to have it, would she?  
  
No, Serenity must have meant for Luna to have this. It must have had an owner. The invasion certainly counted as dire, and Serenity must have passed off the device to a member of the royal house during the conflict.  
  
“Yes, that must be it,” muttered Luna, nodding her head. It had to be. Sailor Moon must have escaped her attention in all the chaos.  
  
After all, what other reason could there be for this item to be there?  
  
Continued examination brought a few other odds and ends to her attention. Soon, it was time to find lunch. With her belly once again full, Luna started to consider her options. Even though she had all these devices at her disposal, what was she supposed to do with herself?  
  
Serenity’s last words were that she wanted her daughter and the others to live normal lives. But these devices had been sent with her and Artemis, wherever he was, in the event that the Dark Kingdom broke free from its prison.

  
But as far as Luna could tell, the Dark Kingdom didn’t seem to be present here. The planet seemed quite beautiful, which surprised Luna. Without the Dark Kingdom, the reincarnation of Princess Serenity was as safe as she could be, at least to Luna’s knowledge. So what was Luna supposed to do?  
  
“Am I just supposed to live here and let the days pass?” she wondered aloud. Luna wasn’t sure.  


* * *

 

A few days went by, and Luna still hadn’t found the answer to her question. She pushed it out of her mind with the business of survival, of hunting and resting, and strengthening herself, and searching for Artemis. He too eluded her. Neither psychic messages nor a search of the immediate environment around her produced her fellow advisor, or perhaps the term was ex-advisor now. Luna didn’t like to think of it like that, didn’t like to think about the fact that her past world was gone.  
  
She was starting to miss him, not that she would admit it of course. But loneliness was starting to gnaw at her. As fortune would have it however, she went a bit farther on one of her searches for Artemis, and in so doing saw the outline of civilization in the distance, along with a dirt road to accompany it.  
  
Here lay new options. She could go to this place of inhabitance and continue her search for Artemis. It was possible he was already there. Her searches of the forest and clearing made it increasingly unlikely that he was here in the forest anyway. It was all very logical, and worth a shot.  
  
But Luna found herself hesitating, because while the rational of finding Artemis was clear, other parts of her were at war. On one hand, she was curious to see the people of the Earth as they were now. On the other, she was scared to get near them.  
  
When it came to the Earth and the people that lived on it, feelings were mixed in the Solar System, _especially_ among the denizens of the Moon. Opinions, gossip, and stories of the blue green orb that the Moon circled varied, but all groups participated in their creation, from the commoners, to the soldiers and the courtiers.  
  
Most of it was negative. Luna supposed the attack on the Moon at the end didn’t help. But even before then, many held it in a place of distain. Luna recalled one particular member of court, a woman in the science division if she recalled right, remarking with a startling amount of venom how the Earth was nothing more than an ugly ball of mud in the sky whose only value to the Solar System came in its orbit being useful as a universal scale of time measurement. And, as the speaker went on, were it not for the fact that it would knock the Moon out of a stable orbit, they would have had advocated that the eyesore be obliterated from the sky long ago.  
  
Then there were other tales, that Earth was a place ridden with plagues, and inhabited by sadistic savages, not unlike the violent Lyocans who still prowled the dark countryside even in Serenity the Twelfth’s time and whose howls inspired dread in many a Lunarian.  
  
Before the invasion, Luna had never had much official interest in the people of Earth. The gossip and rumors had simply been unavoidable in the palace, especially with her hearing. The Earth wasn’t involved in System politics, and there seemed little point in concerning herself with such a little isolated place when there were copious other matters to attend to.  
  
 _And how did that attitude work out for us Luna?_ rang a voice in her head that sounded like Artemis. It certainly seemed like something he’d say, and Luna grudgingly admitted that it had a point.  
  
Luna began to pace in the grass as she worked through her debate. Truth be told, prior to the invasion, Luna had never even _seen_ an Earthling before, as had much of the Solar System. There had been good reason for that of course, and for the endless rumors that surrounded it. Yes, the memories were coming back to Luna now, like looking through an old but familiar book, page by page. The Moon Kingdom had banned all contact with Earth, and after the Treaty of the Silver Millennium, with the Moon as leader, the other planets generally stayed away from it, even if they weren’t technically bound by the law. So the Earth was excluded from all System politics. The ban had been set in place after… after…  
  
Luna stopped cold in her pacing. If the set of memories had been a book, then she would have found herself looking at a torn out page. “Why had the Earth been banned?” she wondered.  
  
Try as she might, she could not remember. She clenched her teeth. Another hole in her memory, like Queen Serenity’s face. It had to have been for _something_. Laws were not passed for absolutely no reason or provocation. The laws forbidding contact were quite harsh, bringing execution to anyone who was caught. It had to have been something of importance to warrant it. And whatever it was, it must have been some time ago, for it was around in Queen Serenity’s time. Whatever it was, Luna certainly wasn’t going to remember what it was any time soon. Just trying to do it was giving her a headache.  
  
The stories about the Earth might have been true, what with the hellish demons that accompanied the soldiers of the Dark Kingdom, the Youma. But the Dark Kingdom was gone now. Would the people of Earth still be the same? As much as Luna feared getting near them, she was also curious. Here was a planet that had been lost to rumor and myth for a long time, a planet with a new start. What would they be like, these Earthlings?  
  
No, she couldn’t hesitate. She needed to go there. If Artemis was there, she needed to find him.  


* * *

  
Before she set out, she hid the pod in the ground in case anyone or anything came poking around. And she made sure to establish a psychic link with the storage device so she could access anything inside of it, even from a distance. It was a draining trick to be honest, but Luna wanted to be prepared. And despite the machine’s attempts to save on space and weight, it was still too big for her to carry with her.  
  
And so after securing her belongings, and filling her belly with a large breakfast, she found herself going down the long dirt road to that point of civilization, and eventually found herself in a town of some sort. Again she was assaulted by a number of differences from what she was used to. The roads beneath her feet continued to be pure dirt instead of the paved stone they were used to feeling, and the simplicity of the walkways were in stark contrast to the familiar column-lined paths of the palace. Here she was in a small settlement far from the ocean, when on the Moon she lived amongst the massive urban sprawl of the capital, whose air lingered with the scent of the deep waters of the Sea of Serenity which lay adjacent to it.  
  
She supposed this place had one positive over the Moon’s capital, and that was the lack of noise. It was nice for her sharp sense of hearing not be assaulted by the tremendous and varied noise such a dense settlement came with.  
  
As she wandered the streets, she laid her red eyes on the Earthlings. They certainly looked nonthreatening. And they seemed to physically the same as the other people’s the Solar System. That was a good sign. One of them was even carrying a cat like her. That was a very good sign that she wouldn’t be met with open hostility, especially since the cat seemed content to be in the woman’s arms.

  
Perhaps she could ask for help? Luna created a mental link with the woman, as she had done on the Moon, and acquired the native language. Luna was about to stop and speak to the pair, when intuition told her to examine the cat closer. There was something about the expression that made her pause. She linked her mind with the creature and found it to be incapable of speech or any form of psychic ability, unlike her own species. Clearly speaking the native language was out of the question. It would probably cause a sensation, since the cats here weren’t capable of it.  
  
So Luna kept wandering. As the crowds thickened a bit, she found herself annoyed by how much energy she had to put in avoiding being trampled or kicked by people that didn’t pay her any attention. Again she was reminded of her home. On the Moon, Lunarians went out of their way to avoid her, parting for her as she walked the palace or on those rare, less busy days where she walked the markets. The crescent moon on her forehead demanded respect. Here, for those that paid attention, it seemed to inspire little more than curiosity, if the few glances in her direction were any indication.  


But where was Artemis? Luna kept wandering around the streets, trying her best to systematically check the entire place, though that was harder to do without a proper map. But she had to keep looking. Her mind told her that she had to run into him eventually. Their pods had been launched at the same time and from the same place, so unless something had gotten in the way, their pods should have landed in the same general area.

  
_Where are you Artemis? Don’t let me be alone here.  
  _

* * *

 

 

In the end, she spent several hours searching the town, double checking and even triple checking. She’d gotten so caught up in her search of Artemis that she’d barely taken notice of how much time had passed. By the time she’d stopped, the Sun was merely a sliver of light. And now Luna was feeling too tired to make the trip back to the pod.

  
And just to make matters even worse and hammer in how bad the situation had gotten, it started to rain. No, that wasn’t true. It wasn’t simply raining, it was _pouring_.  
  
BOOM!

  
… And now there was thunder and lightning too.  
  
“What did I do to deserve this?” asked Luna as she scrambled for shelter in the alley she’d stopped in. She tried diving into the upturned cardboard box, but before long the material gave way under the rain and a now soaked Luna was forced to run for another source of protection from further soaking. How she hated being wet. It was fine if she _wanted_ to be wet in the first place, like if she was bathing, but she absolutely hated being splashed or soaked otherwise. And considering the rainfall right now, she’d probably end up with rainwater saturating her coat, skin, and her _bones_ if she didn’t get under cover.

  
Her paws created splashes as she ran through the puddles, looking for another place to get out of the torrential downpour. Standing in the road, she saw another alley across the way. And it looked like there was some sort of plastic container in there Luna could use. It would certainly hold better than the beaten cardboard box. But before she could take another step, a new sound reached her ears, like spinning gears.

  
She turned her head. A bicycle was headed straight for her, and fast! She needed to move out of the way. Panic set in as she tried to dash out of the way. The soil under her paws had already turned to mud. She propelled herself into a jump, but the mud puddle she was in was slippery, causing her to lose her balance as she pushed herself from the ground. Instead of jumping into the open space of the alley, she was sent head first into a collision with the alley’s trashcans. She fell to the ground, and the force of the impact sent some of the cans toppling, sending garbage all over her.  
  
The world was spinning, and full of stars. Her psychic focal point was burning with pain. Everything is unfocused. She could see the outline of the bicycle. Someone was getting off, approaching her. They were bending down, and Luna can hear a voice faintly through the ringing in her ears and skull.

  
“Oh no! Hey kitty, are you alright? Are you hurt? Oh please don’t be hurt…”  
  
Luna blacked out after that.

 

* * *

  
When Luna woke up, she found herself on a large cushion, wrapped in heated blankets. _Where am I? What happened?_  
  
It came flooding back, the rain, the bicycle, and the way she jumped and slipped before smashing into those cans. In corroboration with the memory, her forehead began to ache, but just a little. She must have been knocked unconscious from the impact. But where was she now? She certainly wasn’t outside anymore.  
  
She examined her surroundings. She saw a bed, a closet filled with clothes, a desk, a set of drawers, and walls decorated with posters, photographs, and drawings. It was definitely a bedroom, but whose bedroom?  
  
Just then, the door opened, revealing a petite young woman with teal colored hair that touched her shoulders and light green eyes. She came in bearing a tray of some sort. When she looked down at Luna, her face brightened. “Oh thank goodness you’re awake. You really had me worried there for a while kitty.”  
  
She set the tray down on the nearby desk and bent down to Luna’s level. “I’m so sorry about before. I was just trying to get out of the rain, like you were I guess. I just didn’t see you through the storm. I didn’t mean to almost run you over, or make you crash like that. You were shivering so badly, you must have really gotten soaked out there.”  
  
The girl, whoever she was, seemed nice enough. Now that Luna was more cognizant, she picked up a new smell in the room. What was it? Sniffing around, she found it coming off her fur and skin.

  
The girl noticed her sniffing. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had to give you a bath. You were covered in mud and garbage, and I couldn’t really set you down on anything like that. My clothes already got pretty dirty carrying you.”  
  
Ah, so the smell was soap. Luna’s face turned pink under her fur. As kind as it had been, it was still embarrassing to think that that had happened while she was out.  
  
The girl started to pet Luna’s head, which felt very good. “You know, when you didn’t even move in the water, I was afraid you’d never wake up.” Her voice seemed to clench. “But I’m so glad you’re okay. And hey, you aren’t cold anymore, right?”  
  
Realization crossed her face. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” She picked up the tray and set it down on the floor. On it were three different bowls. “I brought this stuff for you in case you were hungry or thirsty. I’ve got water, milk, and some cat food.” She took each of the dishes off and set them in front of Luna.  
  
Luna was indeed hungry. But still she hesitated. As much as this strange Earthling had taken her out of the rain, she was still a total stranger. Luna gave a curious glance at the girl. She just smiled back. “Go on. It’s perfectly fine.”  
  
Slowly, Luna dug into the so called “cat food”. Despite the appearance, it actually tasted very good. Better perhaps than the forest mice she’d been eating since she’d woken up. She quickly started devouring it, but then slowed down to a more moderate pace when she realized the Earthling was still watching, alternating between the food and the saucer of milk.  
  
“Wow, you must have really been hungry then,” said the girl as Luna finished off the meal. She picked up the dishes and the tray and set it back down on the desk. “I’ve got plenty, so I’ll leave these here for now, and if you want more, you can just get my attention.” Suddenly there was a knocking from somewhere beyond the room.  
  
“Oh, that’s the door. I better see who it is. I’ll be right back kitty. Please just wait right there.”  
  
She hurried off out of the room, which left Luna alone once again. She could have defied the order and gotten up, slipping out to take the long trip back to the pod. But she was feeling worn out from her search, and it seemed rude to just up and leave in the face of such kindness.  
  
So Luna opted instead to curl herself deeper into the pillow she was resting on, and wrapping the blankets tighter around her. She missed this, being able to sleep on something approaching a real bed, and being fed a decent meal. The pod may have had cushions, but they were hard, and not the most comfortable things to sleep on. This young woman certainly knew how to treat her well.

  
Another story of Earth surfaced in her mind. This one was perhaps a bit more credible than some of the others, since it had been from the one of the royal historians. The man had said something about the people of the Earth having a great fondness for cats, stemming from their worship of a cat god of some sort. If it had been true, it certainly would have helped endear her to the planet. Well, if the invasion hadn’t happened. Luna idly wondered if this young woman’s behavior was related to that. Perhaps the practice was still around? Or maybe her actions were some sort of subconscious remnant? It was an amusing idea anyway.  
  
It took fifteen minutes for the young woman to return. “As much as I appreciate them protecting the contents, do they really need to use that much tape and glue to reinforce the box?” she was muttering. Her face once again brightened when she saw Luna, who was still tightly coiled in the blankets.  
  
“I see someone’s comfy” she chuckled. Her eyes glanced back at the doorway, to the space beyond the room. “Hey kitty, would you like to sit down and watch TV with me while I eat my dinner? I wouldn’t mind the company, and I could move your little bed over to my sofa.”  
  
Luna was surprised to hear the Earthlings had something like television. Slowly she uncoiled the blankets and walked up to the young woman and gave a small mew as a sign of acceptance. Talking was certainly out of the question anyway.  
  
And apparently it worked. “I’ll take that as a yes. Okay then, the sofa’s right this way, so just follow me.”  
  
The girl walked ahead, with Luna right behind. This could be an interesting experience.

 

* * *

 

Luna had been correct in thinking it would be an interesting experience. Oh, it hadn’t started out as such. She’d gotten on the sofa in front of what she could tell was the television in question, and moved back into her bed of pillows and blankets once those had been moved. The girl, who over the course of the exercise Luna had learned was named Ayako, sat next to her, eating a dinner she said she’d cooked in a microwave. Every now and then, Ayako would glance back at Luna and smile, but her expression was something curious. There was something in that expression that Luna wasn’t privy to, but whatever it was, it wasn’t malevolent.  
  
After moving through several channels, Ayako had settled on what she said was a marathon of one of her favorite shows, an Earthling romance of some sort. Clearly it was entertainment, a work of fiction, but for Luna, it was also something of a learning experience. Intuition told her the show was of a more realistic nature, therefore the setting reflected something of this modern world. It was quite fascinating to see something of what the Earth was like now after the fall of the great kingdoms of the ancient Solar System.  
  
So Luna watched on intently, following every detail. Thankfully this marathon seemed to be playing the episodes in order. The show itself was quite entertaining, even if Luna knew she was missing several key pieces of information from being from another planet and time period. The commercials in between were also quite strange. If they were meant to be advertising something, Luna wasn’t always sure what it was, or how some of those arguments would even work.  
  
Time slipped on by, and when the marathon finally ended, Ayako got up from the couch and stretched. “Oh that was great,” she said. “Things like that always make waiting for the new season easier.”

  
She turned her attention back to the feline on her sofa. “So kitty, what did you think? Did you like it?”  
  
Luna really had, and gave a small mew of approval.  
  
“I’m glad. And thank you for the company.” She sat back down on the sofa, closer to Luna, and began to pet her. “You know kitty, that’s a really pretty crescent mark you’ve got on your head. It really makes you stand out. I mean I’ve seen cats with different colored patches of fur, but none of them have patches in such a nice shape like you do.”  
  
Luna felt her face turn pink again. The remark shouldn’t actually have amounted to much. She wasn’t a normal cat after all. And while the crescent moon mark was composed of both markings in her skin and a discoloration of her naturally black coat, it’s not like Luna could take credit for it. It was magically induced by Serenity, a mark of rank, not an aesthetic improvement.  
  
Ayako kept petting Luna in slow strokes, going down her back now. “You know what? I just realized that I don’t really know what to call you. I mean calling you ‘kitty’ is sort of weird isn’t it? But you don’t have a collar or a name tag, so I guess you don’t have a name. Hmm… so what should I name you? Maybe…” Ayako was cut off when she let out a very large yawn.  
  
“Wow, I’m getting sleepy. What time is it?” She turned to see the clock. It showed it to be nearly midnight. “Is it really that late already? I guess I hadn’t been paying attention. Naming will have to wait then, I need to get to sleep. And you do too I guess. Let’s move you back to my room then.”  
  
Ayako didn’t even allow Luna to walk as she had before; instead she just scooped her up with the pillow and blankets, and carried her back to the bedroom, setting her back down in the same spot across from the bed. “There you go. Now you stay here, okay?”  
  
Luna did as she was asked and stayed on the pillow while Ayako got ready for bed. Thirty minutes later, Ayako pulled her own blankets over her nightgown clad body, and switched off the lamp on the bedside table. “Goodnight kitty, pleasant dreams.”  
  
Ayako fell asleep quickly. Luna could tell when the girl was finally in the grip of slumber by the way her breathing and heartbeat steadily dropped before leveling off. Now was her chance. Silently and carefully, Luna telekinetically lifted the blankets off and rose from the pillow. The room was dark, but it posed no problem to her honed night vision.

  
She jumped up to the window sill. She’d stayed out of politeness before, and because she’d still felt a little weak from her crash. And truth be told, the time spent here was enlightening. But it didn’t change the fact that she was supposed to be searching for Artemis.  
  
With the Earthling asleep, it would be easy to telekinetically open the window latch, and from there she could get back on the road back to the pod and plan her next move. If all her searching had proved anything, it was that Artemis wasn’t here. And if Artemis wasn’t here, there was no point in staying.  
  
 _No point except for the comfort and shelter this woman provided_ , whispered a stray thought as she began to work on the window.  
  
That was true. Ayako had shown Luna quite a bit of kindness, and offered her a better meal than she’d been getting in the woods. But she’d stayed the day, and she needed to get back to searching for Artemis.  
  
 _She seemed to enjoy you being there_ , came the reply. _She might not like it if you’re suddenly gone. What if she breaks into a panic?_  
  
That wasn’t her concern really. Ayako seemed like a nice girl, but Luna had a job to do. She continued to force open the latch.  
  
But just as she was about to get the latch open, a whisper broke her concentration. “Don’t go… kitty… please… don’t… go.”  
  
Luna’s head snapped in the direction of the bed. Was Ayako awake? Focusing on the bed’s occupant, Luna realized her heart rate and breathing had changed, had elevated. How had Luna not noticed before? But Ayako was not looking in Luna’s direction, or even looking. Her eyes were closed, and she faced the ceiling. Her legs moved, kicking back her blankets as her hand reached out slowly.

  
Luna gave a sigh of relief. She was just talking in her sleep, something a quick telepathic connection confirmed.  
  
Ayako’s hand continued to reach out, grasping at something imaginary. “Please stay,” she whispered again. The words were filled with desperation diluted by the drowsiness of sleep. “Don’t…leave…me…alone.”

  
The window latch lowered itself back into place, and Luna just stood there for several seconds, just watching the young woman. Quietly, she hopped down from the window sill and walked over to the bed. Luna sent out a mental signal to ease Ayako’s distress, a sensation of calm which Ayako seemed to respond to. She then lifted the blankets with telekinesis and pulled them back over Ayako before getting back into her own bed. Before Luna closed her eyes, she sent another message to Ayako’s dreaming mind, the psychic equivalent of a whisper in her ear.

  
_You can call me Luna.  
_

* * *

 


	2. Exploration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters within it. Those belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do not make any money off of this whatsoever. I do however own any original characters within these stories. Also, while I did use the name of a real place for the town in this story, that was only because I am terrible at making up those kinds of names, and did not wish to attempt it. And the only reason I picked the name that I did was because the location was a town in the country.
> 
> The town in this story is not meant to be an accurate portrayal of this real location. It is merely a fictional town using a real name for lack of anything better. And beyond those superficial qualities, any similarities are purely coincidental.

Chapter 2: Exploration

 

The next morning started off with Ayako’s alarm clock, which roused both of them from sleep. Luna was fully alert within minutes. Ayako on the other hand was still groggy, and gave Luna a quick glance and a small smile before trudging out of the room, no doubt for a morning routine.  
  
Instead of waiting for Ayako, Luna chose to wander the house a bit. The structure was quite large, a two story place, as indicated by the staircase. But Luna managed to find what she knew was the kitchen and the adjacent dining area. She took note of the appliances in the kitchen, and could take strong guesses at what most of them were. A refrigerator, a microwave, a stove and oven, all of these were things the Moon had already developed, and their designs were basically the same as the ones here. Luna supposed that shouldn’t have been surprising. If they were what she thought they were, then the same basic principles of science applied, and form followed function.  
  
It wasn’t long before Ayako joined her, seeming far more alert by now. “So here’s where you went,” she said. “Am I supposed to take that to mean you’re hungry? Well I am too, so that’s okay. Just give me a few minutes.”  
  
Luna sat patiently as Ayako served out the same cat food and water, set them down for Luna, and then prepared her own meal. Things continued in silence for a while after that as the two ate.  
  
“Oh yeah,” said Ayako as she took a sip from a cup of some steaming brown liquid. “I was in the middle of giving you a name last night wasn’t I?” She glanced down at Luna. “So what should I call you?”  
  
Ayako took a bite of her food and sat there chewing, head resting in one hand that was propped up on the table, lost thought. “Hmm…Luna?” Her brows furrowed. “Wait, Luna?” Her voice became a whisper now. “Where did that come from?”  
  
Luna tried not to smile as Ayako sat there thinking. Eventually the girl just shrugged her shoulders in defeat. “Well, it’s not a name I would have used right off for a cat, but I guess it fits you with that crescent moon on your head. What do you say? Do you like Luna?”

  
Luna just nodded her head and made several happy mewing noises.  
  
“Luna it is then. Well,” said Ayako as she got up from the table and collected her dishes. “It looks like both of us are done eating.” She pointed at Luna’s equally empty dishes. “And pretty soon I’ve got to head to work. But personally I don’t really want to leave you alone here. No offense.” Ayako smiled shyly. “So you’ll have to go with me.”  
  
The suggestion didn’t bother Luna at all. Going with Ayako might make the day more interesting, perhaps more interesting than if she was left alone here. A part of her recalled again however that she’d been searching for Artemis, and that being left alone in the house offered the chance to leave without trouble. But Luna ignored that thought. Even if being left alone gave her that opportunity, Ayako seemed set on taking Luna with her, so there was no point in wasting energy on the idea.  
  
Ayako may have been slow to fully wake up, but once she was up, she proved to be quite energetic, and was ready to leave faster than Luna would have thought for one who was so drowsy to start. She picked Luna up and deposited her in the basket of the bicycle before heading off down the road.  
  
The wind blew in Luna’s face, and Luna wondered what form of employment the girl had. She didn’t seem the type for heavy manual labor. Her hands were soft, and without calluses. Whatever form of employment it was, it must have one that would tolerate an employee bringing in a pet, even if Luna didn’t like thinking of herself that way. So what was it? Luna supposed she would find out soon. But until then, she enjoyed the ride.  


* * *

  
When they stopped, it was in front of a bookstore, one titled “Ayako’s Books”. So the Earthling owned this place then. That explained how she could so easily take a cat with her to work. Ayako parked her bike, and scooped Luna up in her arms. “Here we are Luna, this is where I work” proclaimed Ayako proudly. She held Luna close to her chest as she walked to the door and took a key out of her pocket.

  
A click of the lock and they were inside, and Ayako set Luna down before turning on the lights. “I’ve got to set up for the day, so just make yourself at home. But don’t damage anything okay? I expect you to be on your best behavior.” The last sentence was firm, and Luna just nodded before wandering around. Books were arranged in multiple shelves, row after row, and from the hand-made signs, sorted by genre. It was all very organized, which had her impressed.  
  
Curiously, there were books with titles written in characters that didn’t belong to the native language Luna had picked up from the minds of the people here. The nearby sign declared them to be “Foreign”. There were different languages on this planet? That was surprising. Luna recalled hearing something about the Earth being united under one kingdom. Didn’t the Dark Kingdom encompass the whole Earth?  
  
That would lend to the idea that there was a uniform language. And yet these books were written in different ones than was used by the people here. And it did not seem like a simple difference in dialect, for the sets of characters and letters were far too different for a language variant. Were these in old, unused languages of the past? It did not seem so. The books were new, and Luna didn’t see any special chemicals or sense any magic that could have acted as a preservative.  
  
“You seem to be quite interested in those.” Luna jumped and turned to see Ayako looking down at her. “Most of those are in English, but there are a few in other languages. This one is in French.” She lifted up the book in question and Luna saw that along with the title, there was a picture of a man in a dark suit and a tall hat.  
  
“Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar” said Ayako. “Most people prefer the other books around here written in Japanese, but occasionally someone will buy these, so I keep them around. I wish I could read some of them though,” she said with a sigh. “These were given to me and I just know the title and enough information to catalogue them, but beyond that, zip.”

  
The bell attached to the door rang, and both Ayako and Luna turned to see a petite young woman walk into the store. Her eyes were brown and her hair was jet black and ended at her chin. Her steps were light, almost like she was dancing.  
  
“Hey Ayako, how are things go-“ she stopped when she saw Luna. “How did a cat get in here?”

  
“I brought her in Mai,” replied Ayako as she walked up to the young woman and gave her a hug. “How have you been?”  
  
“Good. But what do you mean you brought her in?”  
  
“I think she’s a stray. I sort of almost ran over her yesterday, so I took her home. And I didn’t want to leave her alone today, so I brought her with me. Her name is Luna.”

  
Mai gave Ayako a look that Luna couldn’t quite figure out. There was definitely surprise in there, and what seemed like an attempt to slowly process the situation. But what were those other things she saw in her eyes? It seemed like some sort of internal struggle. But what of?

  
Luna huh?” said Mai slowly at last. “That’s a nice name, and I can see why you picked it.” Mai walked up to Luna and lifted her into her arms, tickling her chin. “She’s a beautiful cat. But are you sure it’s safe to have her wandering around in here?”

  
“It’s fine,” assured Ayako with a wave of her hand. “She’s very well behaved. Now let me guess, you wanted to know if the new book in that series came in, right?”

  
“Yeah. Did it?” said Mai eagerly.  
  
Ayako shook her head. “Sorry, but I got a message saying the delivery got delayed for another week. But have you checked out these manga here…”

  
Mai and Ayako started talking business, interspersed with personal matters, so Luna simply hopped down from Mai’s arms and wandered around the bookstore again, glancing over the titles, this time the ones in the native language. Ayako said the people here preferred “the other books in Japanese”. So “Japanese” was the name of the native language then? And if the language was called Japanese, linguistically that would imply the country originating the language was called Japan. At least that was her guess. Then again, there were other languages here, so she could be wrong. How curious it all was. Perhaps she could learn more by being here.

  
How exactly though? She couldn’t move the books and read them herself, at least not with the Earthlings here. She was supposed to be an Earth-cat, a non-sentient. Then again, Ayako talked to her and treated her as reasonably intelligent, so perhaps she could somehow use that to her advantage in a way? She frowned at that thought. Phrasing it like that seemed so wrong. But it was no less a valid possibility.

  
She walked to the section marked as “Travel”. That seemed like a good place to start. Her most immediate questions were related to language and, she supposed, geography by extension. She browsed through the books, looking over the titles. One quickly caught her eye, “Nations of the World.”

  
This certainly seemed applicable to her questions. Turning back toward the front, she found that Mai had left, and Ayako was fiddling with the machine on the counter, pulling out a drawer. No one walking outside the store seemed to be interested in entering now, so Luna gave a few loud “mews” to get Ayako’s attention. Ayako looked up. “What is it Luna?” She walked over to Moon cat and bent down.  
  
Luna touched her paw on the side of the book. _Hopefully this will work._

  
“What? Are you interested in this?” Ayako picked the book off the shelf and carried it over an armchair in the back. Luna followed close behind, and hopped up into the chair next to Ayako when the girl gave a gesture to sit.

  
“So,” said Ayako as she opened the book, “why’re you so interested in this one Luna? Are you thinking of seeing the world?” She chuckled. “I wanted to do that once too, when I was a kid. But I’m happier here. And besides, I don’t have to worry about language barriers or vaccinations or anything like that. But if you want to look at it, I’d be glad to let you.”  
  
Luna peered over the book as Ayako went through it. The first page was a large map showing multiple landmasses separated by vast oceans. “This,” said Ayako pointing down at the page, “is a world map. This is the whole Earth. Well, a flat version of it anyway. You may not have realized this as a cat, but the Earth is round. But don’t feel too bad, we humans thought it was flat too at first. And all those different colored shapes you see? Those are all the countries in the world.”

  
Luna’s eyes widened at the number of divided spaces on the map. They were _all_ different and separate nations?! The raw number was astounding, and all on a single planet. Luna was again reminded of her past. When it came to the planets, they were all basically united as a single kingdom. Yes, there were deviations, like the great kingdom of Jupiter, whose people colonized the moons since their planet was made of gas, a tactic employed by all the gas planet kingdoms. And each moon was considered a separate state, owing to a time when travel between them wasn’t well developed. But even the many states of the Jovian moons still came together under the rule of a single government and royal family, seated at the capital of Io. Were all these countries their own sovereign governments? _Incredible, though I suppose that explains the presence of different current languages._  
  
Ayako turned to another page. This one too had a map, but was a close up of a long, thin island. “This is Japan. This is the country we live in. And right around here,” she pointed her finger to down into a part of the island, “is Tako. That’s the town we’re in now.”

  
She turned the page, to a map that zoomed out of their last position, and her finger went across the ocean to another large section of land. “Over here is China. They’re a pretty big country. And this continent they are on is Asia. We’re considered part of that. And this big thing up here is Russia. They’re the largest country as far as size, but I guess you can tell.”

  
Ayako went on, pointing out many of the different countries. Occasionally the maps would be broken by little tidbits about certain countries, and Luna listened on. So many countries and different cultures, it was all so fascinating. But soon customers started to come in, so much to Luna’s disappointment, Ayako had to return to her post, and return the book to its proper place.

  
Luna chose to stay in the chair. As much as she wanted to wander and look around more, she knew that as the store’s business picked up, more people would come in and get in her way. Or rather, she reflected, _she_ would get in _their_ way. It was something of an embarrassment for an advisor to the great Lunar throne such as herself to have to stay out of the way of others, but she knew it was unavoidable.  
  
 _At least Ayako uses good cushions_ , she thought as she curled up into the seat, content to watch and listen as people went in and out, and her Earthling companion did her business.

  
Time went on, and Luna found herself the focus of attention on several occasions. It was something of a routine. People would come in, they would give a greeting to Ayako (or she would greet them. If this was a small town, it didn’t surprise Luna that Ayako was on friendly terms with so many of them), they would notice her, and Ayako would introduce her. And the person would then begin complementing Luna and gushing over her, petting her, saying what an “absolutely beautiful” cat she was, and how quiet and well behaved she seemed, etc.

  
“What a lovely coat she has, so soft. And that crescent patch she has is just wonderful” said one middle aged woman. “Do you know if she’s a purebred? I bet she’d be fit for show.”  
  
It was all quite flattering, and Luna was reminded of the time a number of nobles set about constantly complementing her and offering her gifts. It wasn’t long after she and Artemis had been appointed as advisors, and it was clear to Luna that the compliments she was receiving were only to win her over so that she, as someone close to Serenity, would help them with their own causes with Her Majesty.

  
It hadn’t taken her long to see through the scheming, though she recalled Artemis had had greater difficulty seeing through the complements of the noblewomen that came his way. But to be fair, the lot that had pestered Luna had been terrible liars, so perhaps Artemis had merely gotten the more effective social climbers. Really, the ones that came at Luna were so transparent it was embarrassing. Or maybe they thought she was just that stupid.

  
_As if Queen Serenity the Twelfth would have chosen a pair of naïve idiots for her closest advisors._

  
Eventually she alerted Artemis to what was going on, and she’d stated point blank to all of the little parasites that she wasn’t going to be used as a tool for their own political gains. That little speech was made after convincing some of them to do some embarrassing but harmless stunts, the result of playing up the “foreign customs” angle. That part had been Artemis’s idea. And Luna had to admit, it was a nice touch, a way to get back at them for thinking the two of them were stupid. Even Queen Serenity got a laugh out of it.  
  
But these people were different. There was a sincerity to their words that Luna appreciated. They weren’t trying to win anything from her; they just wanted to compliment her. It was…nice.  
  
Time passed to lunchtime, which Luna spent eating some food Ayako had brought along for her, and sitting in the girl’s lap while she looked over the same book as before. Luna’s curiosity hadn’t dimmed a bit.  
  
Before Luna knew it, it was 6 PM, and Ayako was closing up for the day. Another bike ride and they were back at Ayako’s house.

  
“Here you go Luna,” said Ayako as she set the cat down on the floor. “You were very well behaved today. Just for that, I’ll give you some extra food to eat. Just let me start getting my dinner first.”  
  
Ayako went into the kitchen while Luna stayed put in the dining room. Following Ayako in there could lead to Luna getting in the girl’s way.

  
“You know Luna,” called out Ayako as she worked, “With the way people were paying so much attention to you, I was a little worried they’d be too preoccupied to buy anything.” Ayako gave a short laugh. “But today was still a good day as far as business went.” She looked away from her preparations to give Luna a smile and a wink. “Maybe you’re a good luck charm?”  
  
Luna felt herself blushing. She doubted she was a good luck charm. Good luck charms didn’t have their homes collapse on them because of demonic invasion from their neighbors.  
  
Ayako was soon done with her own cooking, and quickly dished out Luna’s dinner, complete with the extra helping of food she had promised.

  
“Don’t expect this too often though,” said Ayako as she set down the food. “I don’t want you getting fat.”  
  
Her, fat? The idea was preposterous. Luna always kept herself in good shape. But she appreciated the sentiment anyway, and gave a mew of thanks to Ayako before taking part in her dinner.  
  
After both of them had eaten and Ayako had set aside the dishes, she picked Luna up. At first Luna thought they were going back to the living room to watch TV again, but then Ayako surprised her.  
  
“You know, if you liked the books in my store, then there’s something here you might like too. It’s right this way.”

  
Ayako came to a single, plain set of wooden doors. And when they went beyond the doors, Luna found herself in a sizable library. Every shelf was filled with books, and some of them were double stacked, with one row of books in front of another, to maximize space use in the deep compartments.

  
“You like it?” asked Ayako as she set Luna down on the hardwood floor. “It was one of the perks of this house when I inherited it from my grandparents. A library this size just worked perfectly for me. Since you’re such a curious little cat, I thought you would like it too.”

  
Luna did. Glancing around, she was wondering if this library was equal in size to Ayako’s bookstore. It certainly seemed close.  
  
“From the way you’re looking around, I think I’ll take that as a yes,” said Ayako with a chuckle. “A cat that likes books is one after my own heart. So why don’t we read something together? Let’s see…”

  
Ayako scanned the shelves. She had a system of organization to deal with the double stacked shelves, something Luna found impressive.

  
“Since you liked the travel book, how about we look at more of those?” She went over to a far shelf and pulled out a hardback volume. “Japan: Then and Now. This one has photos too, so that’s even better.”

  
Tome in hand, the bookkeeper sat down in the reclining chair positioned in the center of the room. She patted the space beside her. “Come on Luna.”

  
Luna obeyed, and hopped up next to her, curling into the space as Ayako opened the book. The Earthling went on reading the book, going through it page by page, Luna following along.

  
They spent the entire evening there, just reading.

 

* * *

 

 

The same pattern continued for a few days. The pair would wake up, eat, and Ayako would then take her with her to work, finding Luna such pleasant company as to prefer it. Luna would wait around in the store, the two would go home, and then spend their evenings either reading or watching TV.

  
It was all in all a peaceful experience, and Luna felt herself content here. Besides, with Ayako always taking her to work, Luna had little opportunity to sneak away, even if she wanted to. But one night, before they could settle into dinner, Ayako got a call which disrupted the pattern.  
  
“Hello, this is Ayako. Oh, hello Izumi. What’s going…oh, really? You want _me_ to take a look at it? But why don’t you ask Koji? Oh, I see. Well I admit I’m decent with them, but I haven’t even gotten dinner and…alright Izumi, alright. I’ll be right over.”

  
Ayako gave a frustrated sigh and set the phone back down into the cradle before addressing Luna. “That was my friend Izumi. Her computer is acting up and she wants me to take a look at it. She says I’m the only person she can trust with it since the usual computer expert around here is out of town visiting his aunt.”

  
She bent down to pet Luna’s head. “Her house is a fair distance, and I don’t know how long this will take, so I guess I’ll be busy tonight. I’d take you with me, but Izumi has terrible cat allergies. Sorry to spoil our night.”  
  
Straightening up, she went back to her room to collect a few things, before moving to the kitchen. When she came out, she was carrying the food dishes she reserved for Luna. “Here’s your dinner so you won’t get hungry. I might have to get mine elsewhere tonight. Now you be a good cat while I’m gone, okay Luna? Try to keep the house in one piece.” Ayako waved at Luna before she went out the door to her bike, locking the door behind her.  
  
Now Luna was alone, and without something to do. Before figuring out what to do with herself, she ate her dinner. No need to leave her stomach empty. But once she’d had her fill, the question remained of what to do.

  
Here of course was an opportunity to sneak out of here and return to the search for Artemis. It would not have been hard to force the locks on the door or windows. She’d almost done it that one time prior.  
  
She moved a paw toward the door, but stopped herself. _Maybe I should stay. After all, being here has been so enlightening._

  
Indeed it had. She’d been learning so much about this new Earth and its people. She glanced back at the library. With Ayako gone, she could look at some books in private, another rare opportunity.

  
Thinking it over, she turned and walked to the library. _It’s probably for the best that I learn as much as I can about this planet, since I seem to be stuck on it. And this place provides a wonderful opportunity to learn._

  
Yes, learning was good. Learning about this world would only serve to benefit her. That was good enough reason to stay. That was a good enough reason not to take the chance to sneak out and continue with her mission of finding Artemis. That’s what she kept telling herself.

  
Walking into the library, she began scanning the shelves, looking at the different subjects she could investigate. Over the last few nights, with Ayako reading either nonfiction or some of her favorite fiction books, Luna had gotten a sense for the system the bibliophile used to organize her library.  
  
Luna picked one of the reference books and floated it over to her, making a note of where it had been originally. For the sake of caution, she could only take a few books out at a time, or else risk forgetting where precisely they went. It would not do for them to be out of place when Ayako returned. Giving the girl her name in a dream had been easy to pass off, but upsetting her meticulous sorting system would no doubt raise suspicions and confusions Luna did not want.  
  
With her book selected, Luna hopped up into the armchair. She might as well read in comfort. She then levitated the book over to her, and began to read through it.

 

* * *

  
Earthlings had been to the Moon.

  
Of course Luna knew that the ancient Earthlings had been to the Moon once before. It was the reason she was here after all. And Luna knew Earthlings had been to the Moon at some point prior to even that, even if she couldn’t remember why contact with them had been so sharply broken.

  
But the people of Earth had traveled to the Moon within the last few decades. Luna had done a double take when she’d first read the sentence. Apparently the people here had developed the technology of space travel, and had refined it enough that members of their species actually walked on Lunar soil again after who knew how long.  
  
It was all very remarkable, especially for a planet like Earth. Luna was impressed, though she wasn’t so very happy to hear the Americans had planted their flag on the Moon when they visited, as if they were staking a claim on it. It was disgusting really, thinking the Moon was a piece of property they could just _take_.  
  
But to be fair, from what she saw of the history books, the people here didn’t seem to know about the ancient past, so it wasn’t like they knew how insulting the idea was. In fact, Earthlings claimed that there was no life on the other planets. That made Luna wonder just how far forward in time Queen Serenity had sent everyone.

  
Not wanting to linger on that particular thought, Luna moved on to other subjects, namely the hard sciences. As she read on, she became more and more impressed. The Earthlings here had developed so much as far as science and technology was concerned. Computers, robotics, satellites, television, the internet, all of these were marvelous inventions that Luna was familiar with, and had never dreamed the Earth would create based on the things that were said about it. In fact, technology seemed to be the driving force here, and the idea of magic seemed designated by the majority of people to be the stuff of fiction.

  
It was ironic in a sense. From what Luna remembered of the armies of the Dark Kingdom, they used simpler weapons and relied more on magic, without a trace of high technology among their forces. Even the ships they had used to get to the Moon had been based in magic rather than science.

  
And yet the planet now was so much the opposite. It wasn’t in the league of the magnificent techno-society of the Uranian Kingdom, but considering the Earth had been so isolated and often thought of as primitive and backwards at the time of the Silver Millennium, the progress now was nothing short of amazing.

  
Browsing through the texts however, did bring to her attention uglier subjects. This new Earth had been host to many wars, and two world wars. And considering how many nations there were on this planet, the fact that enough of them had participated in a war to properly classify it as a “world war” not once, but _twice_ , it wasn’t very comforting. Flashes of the Dark Kingdom’s army played back in her brain.  
  
No, the comparison wasn’t exactly valid. The Dark Kingdom had been something supernatural as well as natural. No group of people was perfect after all. And besides, if Ayako and the people that came by her store were any indication, there was kindness and goodness here. For that, Luna was thankful. If Princess Serenity were to live out her days again here, it was better that it was a place like that.

  
Luna was busy exploring a well-used book on chemistry, and had just started reading about the way the Earthlings had created the Periodic Table when she heard a noise in the distance. Ayako was parking her bike outside. Luna quickly closed the book and put it and the others back in their original positions, making sure everything was in order, and curled herself up deeper into the armchair and closed her eyes.  
  
The door opened. “Luna? I’m back.”

  
Ayako wandered into the open door of the library to see Luna curled up asleep, or at least pretending to be. “There you are Luna. Well, did you enjoy your time by yourself?”

  
Luna slowly opened her eyes, then yawned before giving a happy meow.  
  
“Hey, don’t sound too enthusiastic” laughed Ayako as she pet Luna. “Some of us might think you prefer not having our company.” She sat down next to Luna. “I’m sorry our night got messed up, but I’m glad to see you’re happy…” she paused before adding “and that the house is still standing. Not the party animal type then?”

  
Luna blushed. No, she most certainly wasn’t. As if she’d do anything to destabilize the roof she was under.

  
“Well, that’s okay. I’m not either.” Ayako got up, and held Luna in her arms. “It’s still not late enough to sleep yet, so what do you say to a little bit of TV before we call it a night?”  
  
Luna nodded happily, and Ayako led them out of the library and into the living room. All in all, Luna considered it another night well spent.

 

* * *

 

 

The next night ended up just like the first, with Izumi once again calling for Ayako’s assistance, and Luna being left to her own devices. And like the night before, Luna took to the library.

  
As Luna scanned the shelves for something to read, her eyes caught on the section for mythology and religion. Luna’s first thought was to dismiss that section completely. On a world like this, the subject didn’t seem all that applicable. But logic told her that learning about a world meant learning all aspects, and further logic told her that if it really didn’t seem all that interesting, she could always move onto something else.

  
_Why not? It won’t hurt._ So she levitated a book titled “Myths from around the Globe” and started to read. She read on through it, and to her surprise, started looking at another from the same section. The material might not have been as practical for an understanding of this modern world, but buried within these myths and names of gods and goddesses, Luna found a treasure of memories she hadn’t realized she’d lost. She found some of the richer gems among the pantheon of the Greeks. Names of people and places from her past had somehow weaved their way back into the minds of ancient Earthlings.

  
In an instant, she wasn’t just in a library. She was lost in her own memories of a time and place that no longer was. Moonlight flooded in through the window, and worked its strange magic on the room. In Luna’s mind, the room was suddenly filled with people, with phantoms that she knew only too well. The figures danced around her, and she took her time staring at, and remembering, each one.

  
The figures mostly danced before her in pairs. The first couple that stopped before her was of King Hermes and Queen Athena, the last rulers of Mercury. Hermes was short and wiry, like many people of the planet, with blue hair. She remembered him as a man with a quick wit and who was equally quick on his feet, with a soft laugh and a love of pranks. His practical jokes always made visits to Mercury entertaining, and helped to make up for whenever those visits coincided with the cold winters.  
  
Luna often wondered what color his eyes were. She’d never gotten a good look at them. Hermes always wore special tinted glasses. He suffered from vision problems, one of which was light sensitivity, and without his glasses, it would not have been an overstatement to say he was legally blind. In her mind, he was still wearing them, and he was still laughing.  
  
Beside him was Queen Athena, who had been much taller than her husband, with dark blue hair and sharp gray eyes. It was most appropriate for her name to be used as a goddess of wisdom and war strategy. Athena’s skills at analysis and tactics were superb, and she had dominated every strategy game she ever participated in. Luna had played against her in several such games, and she’d lost every single time. Luna missed those games, even if she was guaranteed to lose. Losses never seemed so bad when playing with Athena.

  
The next figure before her was the solitary one of Queen Aphrodite, cousin of Serenity the Twelfth, born around the same time from Serenity’s uncle and Queen Hathor the Fourth. She was a sight to take men’s breath away, with eyes the color of Earth’s sky and long hair the color of gold. Aphrodite was one of the most frequent visitors to the Moon Palace among all the royals. Whenever Queen Serenity found herself in a fit of depression, Aphrodite’s presence always pulled her out. The warm weather on Venus always made trips there enjoyable, and Artemis had a particular love of the tropical planet.  
  
Aphrodite was a woman dedicated to peace and justice, and always opened her palace to nobles and commoners alike, welcoming them with open arms to all her celebrations. She’d had swarms of individuals willing to be granted her love. But Aphrodite never gave her heart away to any man; save for the mysterious nobleman who’d sired her daughter.  
  
Like Hermes’s eyes, Luna had always wondered who the man was. Aphrodite had never revealed the name. Serenity had even privately confessed to her advisors that despite their closeness, Aphrodite hadn’t even told _her_. The Venusian queen just didn’t like talking about the subject, and evaded direct answers. It was a secret Aphrodite had now taken to her grave.  
  
In a way, Aphrodite’s reluctance to talk of this mysterious man reminded her of Serenity. Serenity too never liked to speak about her own late husband, though he was at least identified. The subject must have still hurt. Neither Luna nor Artemis had ever met the man. King Orion had been gone before they were brought to the Moon. Though Luna was sure she’d seen Serenity looking at a picture of the man on the rare occasions Luna had entered Her Majesty’s private bedchamber. Serenity had always put the picture away before Luna could ever get a good look at it.    
  
Luna had to wonder sometimes if that had been the reason they’d been made advisors. Perhaps Serenity had been lonely, and she’d needed individuals to trust and help her to raise her still very young daughter.

  
Her eyes moved to another interesting pair. One was a man, tall, with dark hair and a bearded face, and beside him was a woman with violet eyes and long hair the color of an open flame. These were the last rulers of Mars, King Ares and Queen Bellona. Luna found it ironic that this Greek Ares was so violent and impulsive. The Ares she remembered was quite level headed, always took time to think and evaluate before doing anything of importance. In fact, he’d been the one to keep in check the more violent and vocal members of his court. He was certainly unlike the stereotypes some people had about Martians, right down to his uncommon black hair.  
  
Queen Bellona was equally as odd in her society. She’d been more aggressive than her husband, impatient and easier to agitate, with a fierce temper. But she’d been far from reckless or stupid. She was a champion for any cause that was brought to her attention. But the one closest to her heart, and the one which she tackled with all of her incredible tenacity, was the misogyny that was so rampant in her society. Luna had experienced it herself, seen the hate and derision in the eyes of some of the Martians she’d worked with, though Bellona told her that the difference in species had actually spared her some of it.

  
Luna smiled at her name being used for a goddess of war. One other thing the Martian queen had been was the greatest hand-to-hand combatant in the Solar System, and not bad with weapons either. It was a title she very much deserved. Luna had seen her in action, and Bellona was _terrifying_ in combat. Bellona would have loved to hear that she’d been deified. Ares too no doubt, since Luna knew he’d already considered his wife his own goddess.

  
More memories floated back to her consciousness, stories that Serenity had told the Mauian pair of the things that happened prior to their arrival and appointment.  
  
Bellona had caused quite a bit of social stir when she’d met Ares in that arena, and continued to be a subject of scandal when the young Ares continued to socialize with her. The tension only got worse when he declared that she was to be his wife. And tensions reached a pinnacle when Ares announced that not only would she be his queen, but she would be _equal_ in power, status, and authority.  
  
In a society so plagued by gender inequality, the announcement was a massive shock. So volatile was the reaction that on the day of the wedding, a band of protestors stormed the temple, weapons drawn, and interrupted the ceremony. All of them were prepared to kill the woman in order to prevent the marriage.

  
Bellona had been absolutely furious, and fed up of listening to people like them. So to get them to shut up once and for all, she decided to fight them off herself, Ares hot on her heels. The two managed to subdue all of them, and to rub it in their faces, they continued on with the ceremony, bruises and all. Serenity had showed them the photographs to prove it. Luna almost wished she’d been there to witness it.

  
The next pair was very tall, and both of them had brown curly hair and green eyes. Luna recognized the man immediately. The broad shoulders, bearded face that couldn’t hide the enormous grin, the joy and life that sparked in those eyes, this was King Zeus. And the gentle woman with her arm around him was Queen Hera. These were the last rulers of Jupiter.

  
Zeus and Hermes always got along well, and were always the life of large parties. While Hermes laughed softly, Zeus’s laughter was a bellow that frequently reminded Luna of the rumble of the thunder clouds Jupiter’s magic was linked to, but without the menace. That sound always made him stand out in a crowd of Jovians. Queen Hera was not so loud, but Luna recalled that she had a passion for gardens, and had sculpted a wonderful one for herself in their palace. Frequently when visiting the Jovian palace, Hera would be found working in her garden alongside her daughter. Luna could still remember the time the princess had been short.  

  
She grimaced at the description of the Greek Zeus. This man was a terrible adulterer and a womanizer. It seemed all the more disgusting since his consort was declared the goddess of marriage. Clearly there had been some wires crossed in whatever process brought this information back to the people of Earth.

  
The real King Zeus would have never cheated on his wife, and not simply for fear of revenge. Luna had spent enough time around the man to know that he dearly loved Hera, and never would have been able to live with himself if he had been unfaithful. And Hera herself had never been the vengeful and highly insecure being in these myths. She’d been quiet and calm and gentle, though a threat to her family usually brought out an icy venom in her voice that made one think twice before continuing to speak.

  
If anything, the description of this Greek Zeus reminded Luna of the king’s brother, Duke Dionysus. Dionysus had been a drunk, sexist pig of a man, and Luna never had any hesitation in calling him that. It was practically common knowledge. The man drank heavily, and at greater frequency than the typical Jovian. He’d also preferred to consume stronger, imported brands of alcohol from the other kingdoms, completely ignoring the sensitivity of the typical Jovian liver.  
  
Being around him had always been unpleasant, even before he started talking, simply because the smell of alcohol emanated from him like it had soaked every cell in his body. Even considering that he shared Zeus’s height and strong constitution; it seemed to be a miracle that the man hadn’t already died of acute alcoholic poisoning. Luna wished many times that she’d had nose plugs.  
  
But then he started talking, and one realized he was completely sexist, looking at every eligible woman like she was a _thing._ Luna recalled the occasions she got to talk to the staff members of the other royal families. It was a good way to exchange notes. One of the aids to the Jovian throne had been a jittery young man, whose nervousness was only made worse by his recently acquiring a fiancé. He related to Luna that Dionysus’s many escapades with women had created a large number of illegitimate children, and an immense line of people waiting to file child support lawsuits. Zeus, it appeared to him, was too soft-hearted on his brother to let him suffer the consequences of his actions.

  
Stories like that made Luna appreciate her job in the Lunar court. If she’d been working under the Jovians and dealing with something like that, she had little doubt her coat would have turned gray early and she’d have had a coronary, not necessarily in that order. But even still, she had to deal with the man. Any time he ended up being present at international functions, she and the other royal aids had a terrible time making sure he was always in a different room than Bellona. There was a rightful concern that should he talk to her for any length of time, the Martian queen would try and neuter him.

  
In Luna’s opinion, it wasn’t a concern, it was a certainty, just as she knew it was a certainty that Bellona would not only try but succeed. And as much as most women would’ve been happy to see the drunkard reap the consequences of his behavior, it wasn’t worth the international incident, since he would no doubt complain and press his brother to do something. Dionysus had a lot of friends on Jupiter and in other kingdoms to back him up. Not that many of them were of a higher caliber. One “friend” was an upper class Lunarian who was arrested and convicted of robbing his fellow neighbors in their district of waterfront mansions after he’d lost all his money gambling on Callisto.

  
So many memories, so many people she’d known and now lost. Luna sighed and looked away from the books. She missed them all so very much. Even with the tedium that came with her job at times, she wished she could go back to it all. But she couldn’t. These people in her mind’s eye were nothing but specters, wisps of memory.  
  
 _But Artemis isn’t,_ hissed a voice in the back of her head. _You’ve been neglecting him._

  
“I haven’t been neglecting him,” she replied, unsure why she was arguing with herself. Her answer seemed hollow. Or maybe the room had an echo. Wasn’t the ceiling high enough to make one?

  
_Yes you have. Weren’t you supposed to be looking for him?_  
  
“I’ve been keeping myself busy. I’ve been learning about this new world. That’s just as practical.”

  
_You’ve still been neglecting looking for him. You just wanted to stay here, that’s all._  
  
Luna couldn’t find an answer for that. As much as learning about the new Earth had been useful, and her chances had been limited, Luna couldn’t deny there was a ring of truth there. And with it came a pang of guilt. Part of her had wanted to stay here. Ayako was so very friendly, and it was so nice here.  
  
But it didn’t excuse the fact that she should have been searching for him as she had been before. But even if she did leave here and start searching, where would she begin? She knew now how massive this place was, and a search on foot or even psychically could be daunting.

  
Luna gave another sigh and lay her head down on the cushion. “I suppose it would be too much to ask that he run into me, wouldn’t it?”  
  
 _Luna? Luna? Are you there?_

  
Luna’s head bolted up in shock. “A-Artemis?!”


	3. Awakening: Artemis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters within it. Those belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do not make any money off of this whatsoever. I do however own any original characters within these stories.

Chapter 3: Awakening: Artemis

 

Artemis had so far not enjoyed this planet. Not one bit. He could see why so many people had disliked it, though his feelings were for different reasons. Namely, he didn't like it here because the whole planet seemed to dislike him.   
  
He'd woken up in the middle of what was clearly a massive urban environment, a maze of steel and concrete. The barrage of noise and smells (mostly bad) had made it difficult to clear the cobwebs from his brain. And after he'd managed to collect his thoughts, he found himself facing a large number of angry cats, none of which he could communicate with. There was no language in their minds that he could connect to.   
  
But even without higher language skills, Artemis could still read body language. And theirs said _get out, this is our territory._ So it was that Artemis spent some of his first moments on this planet mixed up in a brawl with mean, nasty alley cats. He'd managed to fend them off for the most part with telekinesis. But he was still recovering, so some of the braver and faster ones managed to get up close and personal. Artemis had scars under his coat to testify.   
  
Artemis found himself struggling to find proper food and water in this place, having to root through what he could only assume were garbage cans to find something remotely suitable to eat. He didn't find much. And he was sure some of things he'd had to consume weren't totally healthy. What net gain of energy he’d gotten out of it was reduced by his need to fight even more cats. When he'd retired to the pod to sleep, he'd heard more hostiles roaming near him. As a result, he slept poorly for the first few nights before he finally had enough and lifted the pod, moved it out of the alley to a spot deep within a nearby park using the cover of night, and promptly collapsed.  
  
He'd slept a little better after that, and the park had a few small animals he'd managed to turn into dinner. While the space offered some respite from the noise, it didn't keep him away from the smell. There was still the distant scent of combustion in the air, car exhaust. Artemis had done some wandering and had seen all the cars here. He was shocked that Earth had such things. He had to wonder, did the remaining people plunder some of the technology of the other planets after their invasion?

  
_If they did, they didn't do a very good job of it_ , he thought as he glanced at the designs. Uranus had been one of the kingdoms that used cars the most, along with Mercury. But Mercury had focused more on developing means of public transit. The things Artemis saw here didn’t even measure up to the ones he’d seen on Uranus. For one, the Uranian cars were much quieter. For two, they’d been electric, and didn’t create the exhaust these Earth models did. The Uranians had been quiet particular about avoiding air pollution, and had scrapped combustion engines like the ones he saw now very fast. Understandable really, considering their worship of a sky god.   
  
Artemis managed to acquire the native language of the Earthlings, but it didn't really do him too much good. He'd tried talking to a woman in the park once, and said woman had merely screamed and run in fright. _She could have been a little more polite._ He was ashamed to admit that he'd forgotten about his failed attempts to communicate with the other cats. Clearly the cats here weren't sentient, and the idea of one that could talk was too strange.   
  
Over the next few days, he examined the contents of his pod and tried to find Luna. She didn't seem to be responding. Of course, forms of ESP weren't his specialty. Luna had always been more proficient at that than he was, while he'd excelled at telekinesis. So he wandered the park, hoping that perhaps a change of position might help him reach Luna. She had to be nearby, right? After a few hours of searching, he'd gotten lost and had to spend the night in another part of what had turned out to be a _very large_ park.

  
To make matters worse, it rained that night, reducing his ability to sleep properly out in the open. The area also seemed to have less available food for him, so he'd had to miss a few meals the next day as he tried to navigate back to his pod.   
  
It was during this trip back that he found himself in his current predicament. He'd been walking along, wandering through the park, when he was happened upon by a group of Earthlings. The minute after he saw them, and they saw him, he found himself lifted into the air and caught in a death grip.

  
“Kitty!” cried a high-pitched voice as he felt the arms around his stomach tighten, crushing all the air out of his lungs and not allowing him to take in any more. _Air..._  
  
“Be careful honey, you don't know whose cat that is,” spoke the tall woman of the group.   
  
Artemis felt the arms loosen, and he gulped in the air, savoring it, smells and all. He was held out in the air, and saw the thing that had grabbed him was a small girl with shoulder length blue-black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress and a wide sunhat on her head. She regarded him for a moment, before speaking back at the woman. “But Mommy, the kitty isn't wearing a collar. It must not have an owner.”   
  
A second later, the girl started to smile and bounced on her heels. “Ooh! Mommy, Daddy, can I have the kitty? Please!?”

  
The two parents looked to each other with concern. “But sweetheart,” said the man, “you just found it in the park. It could be sick.”   
  
“But then it would need a home even more! Why can't I have this one? I want this one. PLEASE!”

  
Artemis looked between this strange hyperactive child and her parents. She was giving them an expression that Artemis knew was a puppy dog eyed pout, and from the looks of it, a very effective one. Princess Mina had used that look on her mother lots of times when she was young, usually to get something she wanted or to let her give Ferdinand, her pet Venusian Taurus, extra desert. That was before she'd been old enough to get her sizable allowance, a perk of being the heir to one of the most affluent kingdoms in the System next to Jupiter. Once that happened, she hadn’t really needed to beg.

  
This girl, it seemed, had mastered it as much as Mina, because the parents caved in within seconds. “Alright sweetheart, you can have the kitty,” said the woman. “But you have to take care of it.”  
  
“YAY!” screamed the girl as she hugged Artemis again, driving out all the air he'd just gotten used to having in his lungs. “You're my new kitty. My name is Emi and we're going to have so much fun together. Let's go home right now!” She held him tight as she and her parents headed out of the park and into a waiting car, which was long and sophisticated-looking, and which had a driver.   
  
Artemis couldn’t free himself from Emi’s grip, which didn’t loosen when they sat down inside. So he was forced to take the car ride with these humans, all the way to a multi-level structure.  
  
“This is where we live kitty!” said the girl excitedly as she bolted out of the car and went straight for the door. “Mommy and Daddy call this a town house. Isn’t it great? I know you’ll love it here too.”   
  
Once inside, Emi stopped to show off the interior. “This is the hallway. Don’t you like it kitty?” Emi took a deep breath and frowned. “Ooh kitty, you really stink.”   
  
Artemis huffed. _Well excuse me. I didn't exactly have good places to clean myself. I was too busy finding food, shelter, and fighting off crazy cats._  
  
“It's bath time for you.” Emi took him up the stairs, and held him tightly, despite his struggles to free himself from her grip. She took him into a bathroom before she shut the door and set him down. “You wait right here kitty, and I'll get your bath ready.”   
  
_Over my dead body._ Emi was busy with other things, and her back was turned to him. He had to try and sneak out of here. He certainly wasn't going to be a pet around here. Carefully he snuck over to the door. Step by step, he got closer. He was just at the door, ready to move it with telekinesis, when something pulled _quite sharply_ on his tail.

  
He screamed in agony as he was dragged back across the floor. _Oh come on, can’t something go right?!_  
  
“Naughty, naughty kitty” said Emi as she yanked on his tail more. “You were supposed to wait. You shouldn't sneak away from bath time.” She then lifted him into the air and held him over the large marble tub, which was now full of steaming water. “Kitty needs a bath” she said with finality as she dropped him into the water.   
  
Artemis's head surfaced and he gasped for air. The water was warmer than he would have liked. When he turned back to Emi, he saw her holding a brush that was coated in soap. _Oh no..._

  
He couldn't even scream before she came at him and started scrubbing down the top of his head. She wasn't being very gentle about it either. Were the bristles on that thing hard, or was it just the way she was working? Artemis wasn’t sure. All he knew is that he wished she would stop.

  
“Scrub the kitty...” she was singing, off key he might add, as she started scouring his back. He tried to move away from her, but she just held him still with her other hand. He'd have tried to bite her, if he wasn't sure that opening his mouth would end with him tasting soap. As it was, he barely managed to keep his eyes open without the risk of soap falling in them.   
  
Emi didn't even give him any warning before she dunked him under the water. She grabbed him roughly by the scruff of the neck and pulled him to the surface, where he was once again coughing and gasping for air. _What's with this kid and suffocating me?_

  
“Paws next,” Emi announced before pulling one of his legs out from under him and going at it with the same fervor. At least the water kept him from losing his balance. _This is absolutely humiliating._ A washcloth was then pressed right into his face.

  
Emi rubbed against his forehead and frowned. “Hey, that little mark isn't coming off...Ooh, is it a birthmark?! I've got one of those on my leg. It looks like a bird. Too bad yours isn't a bird too, then we'd match.”  
  
Artemis was in the water for several more minutes before Emi declared him to be clean and hauled him out of the tub. His skin hurt all over, and he knew it was bright pink from the heat and friction. _I think I lost a few layers of skin..._

  
Whatever relief the open air gave him was short lived before he found himself once again smothered, this time by a bunch of towels. “Time to dry the kitty; don't want to catch a cold.”

  
When she was finally done with him, he felt like he’s been run over. He wondered briefly if this was how people who had volunteered to spar with Queen Bellona felt. He’d been certain that these humans thought he was just an ordinary cat, but after this experience, he was having some doubts. If all this had been some demented form interrogation or torture, he had to admit it was very effective. He was certainly ready to crack.   
  
“Now you’re all nice and clean,” said Emi. “I think I’ll call you Miruku. That means milk and you’re the color of milk. Doesn’t that sound like a nice name?”  
  
 _Personally I prefer my own name thank you._ But he got the feeling that even if he could speak to her without any problem, she might not have listened. Not that he would have had the energy to protest. He was too tired to even run when Emi grabbed him again and took him off to her bedroom, where who knew what was waiting for him.

 

* * *

 

This place was a prison, a shockingly effective prison, one that had held him for quite some time now. After the initial torture session in the bathroom, Emi had deposited him in her bedroom on top of a bed that was frankly enormous for an eight year old, a horribly saccharine creation of pink and white frills with a canopy.   
  
After she’d dropped him there, she’d gone out of the room, claiming she needed to go with her mother to get cat food for him. Escaping out the window wasn’t an option. It went out to a several story drop that would surely have shattered his legs were he to have simply jumped. And he couldn’t risk using telekinesis to safely lower himself, not in a heavily populated place like this. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to his unearthly origins.

  
So the only way to escape this place was the door. The lock mechanism on the door was simple, so he had no problem using his telekinesis to unlock it. Silently he had crept down, and had been within feet of the front door, only to be caught by the family housekeeper, who he learned was named Margaret. From the bits of conversation he picked up, she was from America apparently, wherever that was.

  
“Now where do you think you’re going sweetie,” said the woman as she pulled him into her arms.   
  
_Out of here! Let me go!_

  
But Margaret wouldn’t let him go, and kept him captive until Emi returned. In light of his near escape, Margaret gave Emi the suggestion for a way to prevent him sneaking out, a bell. The woman took a golden bell, something she said “fell off one of the Christmas decorations”, and said it would “keep him from being all sneaky”. He had no idea what Christmas was, but he knew he hated this thing, this bell and the magenta ribbon it had been looped through before being tied around his neck. It jangled every time he moved, which he supposed was the point.   
  
Now here he was, days and days later, sitting on Emi’s bed, with that same accursed bell around his throat, preventing any silent escape. He couldn’t even unknot the thing. The knot itself was on the back of his neck. For him to telekinetically undo it, it would have been best for him to be able to see it. Finding a proper angle was impossible, so it was like working blind.

  
On top of that, Emi’s knot tying skills apparently included tying a knot that, while not restricting his air supply, was so bizarre and chaotic that it was impossible to even _try_ to undo, even if he could get a good view of it. He doubted it was a standard design. From what he could feel when Emi tied the thing, it was more likely that, like many children who had never learned to tie real knots, she just did whatever she wanted. But his captor had apparently mastered this particular monstrosity so that she could undo it in seconds, but only her.   
  
Right now Emi was out getting more food and “other things” for him. He shuddered at what she had in mind. The girl was a terror to rival some of the worst interrogators. The food she offered him probably tasted good. _Probably_ because he hadn’t really had a good chance to taste the stuff. Emi seemed to insist that, rather than allowing him to eat himself, she spoon feed him. Of course the spoon she used was large and she just shoved the stuff into his mouth, like she was trying to choke him. On the plus side, she let him drink water normally. _Thank goodness for small miracles._

  
He couldn’t even sneak off at night when everyone was asleep either, when the bell was removed. Emi took to holding him as she slept, and even unconscious she had a formidable grip. He’d almost have wondered if she was descended from a family of Jovians rather than Earthlings.

  
With Emi gone for now, his only company was the menagerie of dolls and stuffed toys that filled the room, the ones he was told not to touch. Not that he wanted to. His only hope of escape from this place was being able to contact Luna. With the machine in front of him now, he intended to do just that. He fiddled with the controls before pressing his forehead into the panel.

  
_Luna? Luna? Are you there?_  
  
 _Artemis?!_ The startled reply tempted him to holler in victory, but he couldn’t risk attracting attention, or breaking the connection.   
  
_Luna, you’re alive! Where are you? Are you okay?_

  
_I’m fine Artemis. I’m in a small town called Tako. Where are you? I’ve been trying to contact you for some time. Are you nearby?  
_  
Artemis blinked at the name. _Tako? Where is that?_ His mind started to race. _How did you get there? Did the Earthlings take you there?  
_  
 _Settle down Artemis, no one took me here. Now where are you?_

_  
I landed in the middle of a city.  
_  
 _A city?_ There was a pause in the communication. _I landed in a clearing not too far from here, and there are no metropolitan areas nearby. Our pods must have drifted off into different trajectories. Do you know the name of the city? Perhaps I can determine how far away you are._

  
Artemis frowned. _No._

  
_You may have heard the name and not realized it. Come on Artemis, try to think._

  
Artemis pulled back his thoughts and searched his memory for anything that stood out, any repeated names, words, or phrases that would indicate where he was. One came to mind. _I think I heard someone mention something called the Tokyo Subway._

  
_Tokyo! Yes, that’s probably it_ declared Luna. _Tokyo is the capital city of this country._ There was a pause. _But that’s quite a ways away from where I am. If you’re so far off, how are you able to reach me?_

_  
I’m using the telepathic amplifier. You remember it, from the Vault?_  
  
 _Oh yes,_ replied Luna in remembrance. _That was that joint project between the Neptunians and the Uranians correct? And the lead Neptunian researcher had family on the Moon, so she’d been requesting to use the Vault as a workspace for months before we granted it?_

  
_That’s the one._ Artemis had found the thing tucked away in the storage unit that came with his pod. It took him a while to remember what it was. He’d hardly ever laid eyes on it before. He’d been hesitant to try and use it since he remembered reading a report stating it still had some bugs to work out. But he’d been desperate, so he’d pulled it here with the old psychic link trick. Thankfully he’d only needed to tinker with it a little bit, and it hadn’t been buggy enough to create a feedback loop and fry his brain.

  
_Look Luna,_ he continued, _I need you to come get me._  
  
The pause he got after that was longer than the others, and he didn’t like it. _I’m not sure I’m able to do that Artemis. It’s a very long way._

  
_What do you mean you can’t?!_ He pressed his forehead harder against the machine. _Look, I’m stuck with one of these Earthlings and I can’t get out of here. I need you to rescue me! I’m sure you could find a route here and…_ he paused. A car was driving up to the house. Emi was back!   
  
_I have to go Luna. She’s back! I’ll contact you again as soon as I can._ Hurriedly, he shut down the machine and transported it away. It wouldn’t take long for Emi to get back up here. He lay down on the bedding, savoring the softness of it while he tried to rest.   
  
Sure enough, Emi was soon up the stairs and opening the door. “Oh Miruku, I’m back!” Emi plopped down on the bed next to him, shaking him from his position. She grabbed him and turned him so he looked her right in the face.

  
“We got a whole lot of yummy food for you Miruku, all sorts of food! I didn’t even think they made that many. And you can try them all.”   
  
_Oh goodie. Now if only you’d let me taste the stuff instead of shoving it past my tongue…_

  
Emi was still smiling, and in a way that he didn’t like. That meant more trouble.   
  
“But you know what I think we should do now? We should have a tea party! I saw this in a store and I got it just for you.” She then started rummaging through a paper bag Artemis hadn’t even noticed her carry in.

  
What she pulled out made Artemis recoil. Emi’s ear to ear grin didn’t help either. “Isn’t this little dress pretty? I knew I had to get it for you, and you just had to wear it to a tea party! You need look pretty for the party, right?”

  
Artemis eyed the bright yellow, ruffled abomination with equal parts horror and disgust. She wasn’t seriously going to put him in that was she? He still had some dignity left as a royal advisor.

  
“Come here Miruku.”

  
Artemis tried to run, but he didn’t get far before a pair of hands grabbed his sides.   
  
_Luna, get me out of here!_  
  
His scream could be heard all the way down to the first floor.   


* * *

  
Luna shook her head at the sudden and sharp break in communication. She was so glad Artemis was alive. For a moment, she thought she’d detected a hint of terror coming from her fellow advisor before he left. Surely it must have been her imagination.

  
She calculated again the distance between herself and Tokyo. It was formidable, even if she hopped onto forms of mass transit to cover more ground. But Tako was so small and out of the way. She would have to have made some of the trip on foot. Surely Artemis was being melodramatic about his situation. Or perhaps he was just being lazy.   
  
Luna heard a bike pull up. Ayako was back. Quickly, Luna returned the books to their proper places. When Ayako entered the library, she found Luna curled up in the chair like before, as if waiting for her return.

  
“Hi Luna. Did you miss me again?” She scratched Luna behind the ears, which really felt good. “Don’t worry, I think that’s the last time I need to fix Izumi’s computer. Koji is supposed to be back tomorrow so it will be his problem from now on.” She looked around the library. “So, what shall we look at tonight?”

  
Luna watched Ayako peruse her library. She’d think more on the Artemis situation tomorrow. If Artemis had been in any real mortal peril, he would have said so. Right now Luna could content herself with the fact that he was alive, and the anticipation of another evening reading session with Ayako.


	4. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters within it. Those belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do not make any money off of this whatsoever. I do however own any original characters within these stories. 
> 
> Author’s note: Hello everyone. Well, I said this would be the next thing I’d do after Tale of Karkinos chapter two, and here it is. Although I hate that it took me this long to get it together. I was delayed by class and by a series of absolutely terrible technical problems that resulted in a new computer and several resets. Don’t worry, I didn’t lose a thing. It was just a massive, stressful pain. 
> 
> Again, I am so sorry it took so long. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 4: Revelations  
  
 _Please Luna, you have to come and get me,_ Artemis pleaded.   
  
The two ex-advisors were engaged in another telepathic conversation. It had been a week since their first talk. Luna gave the psychic equivalent of a sigh. _You keep saying that Artemis, but you don’t actually tell me the precise circumstances of your problem. If you do I might be able to help you get out of there and come to me._   
  
_I…_ Artemis paused. _Why can’t you come to me instead?_ The response was weak. He was avoiding her question, though Luna had no idea why.   
  
_I told you before Artemis, the distance between our locations is significant. It would require the use of the Earthling’s mass transit and a long distance walk, the latter of which I would have to start with. Since you are in the hub of mass transit, you are in a better position to make the journey than me. You can access guaranteed transport in my direction. And it would probably be easier for you to slip on board in a high population zone without trouble than it would be for me._  
  
It was a perfectly logical argument; one Luna had worked out in the interval of their conversation. And besides, Luna had gotten used to the quiet of this place, and did not wish to move to such a loud and highly populated city. _You tell me you’re stuck. I could help you solve your problem, and I want to. But I cannot do that without information Artemis. You need to tell me what your situation is._   
  
_I’m trapped with a family of Earthlings!_  
  
Luna felt a slight ache in her skull. Why was he being so resistant? _More specific than that Artemis._  
  
 _I…_ Artemis paused, and an awkward mental silence fell between them. _Alright, I’m… oh no, she’s back again! I’ll contact you later when I can._   
  
Before Artemis broke off the whole connection, Luna picked up one last stray thought.   
  
_Oh no, not the tutu again!_  
  
Luna blinked. “Tutu?” What in the name of the Moon was Artemis in the middle of? Luna shook her head. She’d have to wait until another time. Perking up her ears, she listened for Ayako. She’d been busy sorting out deliveries and other chores.   
  
Luna wandered out of the room, looking for Ayako. It wasn’t long before she spotted her, just as she was answering the door.   
  
“Hello, how can I—“ said Ayako pleasantly before cutting herself off. A man was standing in the doorway. He was short, but heavyset, though most of it appeared to be muscle, with thick arms and a wide face, and short black hair and brown eyes. He was smirking at Ayako.   
  
“Hey there babe. Did you miss me?”   
  
And then Luna saw an odd change in Ayako. Her whole body stiffened, and her tone as she spoke her next words was harsher than Luna had ever heard before.   
  
“What do you think you’re doing here Kenta?”  
  
The man shrugged. “I came back into town and thought I’d see how you were doing. I thought maybe I’d see if you wanted to have dinner together.”   
  
Ayako narrowed her eyes at him. “If you think I’m going to get back together with you then you’re sadly mistaken. I told you I didn’t want to see you again. Now get away from my house.”   
  
“Oh come on Ayako, it’s been months. Don’t tell me you’re still upset.” He leaned on the doorframe. “We used to have something didn’t we? I loved you. I never stopped. And you said you loved me too.”   
  
“I _thought_ I loved you, and I _thought_ you loved me. But you didn’t Kenta, not really. You just cared about yourself.”   
  
Kenta groaned. “You’re really still on that, are you? Geez, when are you going to get over it? You always seemed to care more about that _stupid thing_ more than me!”  
  
Ayako free hand balled into a white-knuckled fist. “You know what Kenta? You’re right. But that’s because you never really cared about _me_. You never understood or thought of my feelings at all, did you?”   
  
The young man’s eyes just narrowed. “Of course I did babe. And I’ll show you. Now come with me.”  
  
“No,” replied Ayako firmly.  
  
Kenta growled. “Okay, that’s it. You’re coming with me _right now_.” He reached out and grabbed her hand tightly before pulling her towards him.  
  
Luna took a step forward, but Ayako was faster. When she couldn’t dig her feet in hard enough, she struck Kenta’s hand with the broom handle. The young man gave a yelp, arm recoiling sharply.  
  
“Geez Ayako. Knock it off!” he cried.   
  
She knocked him away from the doorframe with her broom. “You should knock it off Kenta! Now you better listen to me this time. Go away, and don’t come back. There’s nothing here anymore. If you try this again, or if you even _touch_ me again, I’ll call the cops. Do you understand me? Now leave!”   
  
Ayako shut the door in his face, ignoring any of his protests. Outside the young man could be heard screaming. “Ayako! Ayako open this stupid door!” The protests continued for a few minutes before being replaced by the sound of stomping feet.   
  
Setting her broom down, Ayako turned around, away from the door. Seeing Luna entering the room, her angry expression softened.   
  
“I hope you didn’t see all of that.” She walked over to Luna and scratched behind her ear. “Don’t worry about him. He’s old news. Now let’s do something fun. I could use a little relaxation.”   
  
Ayako walked off toward her room, and Luna followed close behind.   
  


* * *

  
“Eight, nine, ten…”   
  
Ayako’s room was filled with traces of steam. They had spent part of the evening watching a very entertaining show on TV before Ayako took to her room for a nice hot shower. Still wearing her bathrobe, she’d sat down at her vanity to brush out her hair. After the bibliophile had finished, she invited Luna to sit on her lap for her own round of brushing.    
  
So here Luna was, sitting there as Ayako stroked her fur. And it felt absolutely divine. She found herself letting out several, perhaps undignified, mews of pleasure at the feel of the bristles going through her coat. When was the last time she let someone brush her fur? She certainly never let the servants at the palace do such a thing for her. The last time had to have been with her mother when Luna was still a kitten on Mau.   
  
 Luna found herself reflexively pulling closer to Ayako. The girl gave a chuckle as she dragged the brush from Luna’s head to the tip of her tail. “I guess you really like being brushed huh? That’s good. I’ve known several cats around here that absolutely hate it.”   
  
_Quite the contrary, I could sit here like this all day._   
  
But to Luna’s eminent disappointment, Ayako eventually stopped brushing. “There, done.” Setting down the brush on the vanity, she held Luna up by the arm pits. “You are one very pretty kitty Luna.” Ayako then kissed Luna’s forehead, an act that made Luna turn tomato red. “Mrs. Hamato may be right about you being fit for show. Well, if I knew what your breed was.”  
  
Keeping Luna in her arms, Ayako gave a sigh. “Listen Luna, about that man at the door earlier. That was my ex-boyfriend. He and I didn’t break up on good terms. If you see him around, I want you to stay away from him, you understand? His temper seems to have only gotten worse.”   
  
Luna could already tell from Ayako’s reaction earlier that the pair were most certainly on bad terms. She didn’t need to be told twice to stay away from him, especially if he might be prone to more aggressive behavior. The faint worried edge in Ayako’s voice only served to solidify Luna’s belief that that was the case.  
  
Ayako set herself down on her mattress, but not before putting Luna in her own makeshift bed. “Goodnight Luna.”  
  
As Luna drifted off, she made a mental note to look around tomorrow and see if Kenta was in the vicinity of the house. Even if she didn’t seek him out, it was best to make sure that the man wouldn’t try anything stupid or dangerous.  
  
Those were her last thoughts before the world of dreams claimed her.   
  


* * *

  
_Ow!_  
  
Far away in Tokyo, Artemis too found himself being brushed by his new human acquaintance…   
  
_Ouch!_  
  
…With much different results.   
  
The Mauian tomcat gritted his teeth as the brush went through his fur again. Emi was pressing so hard he could feel the bristles scraping his skin. If she kept this up his fur would turn pink from abrasions. _Then again, she might like that._ He suppressed another moan of pain.   
  
“Isn’t brushing fun Miruku?” declared the girl. She sat cross-legged on her bed with him in her lap, one arm wrapped around his torso to keep him from escaping. “I always love it when Mommy brushes my hair. She says it’s a good way to relax. And you need to relax. You seem so antsy.”  
  
 _Gee, I wonder why…._ Artemis grit his teeth as he felt those bristles scrape his skin again, holding back a foul Mauian expletive.   
  
“I wish your fur was longer though. Ooh, maybe that groomer lady near here has something that will make it grow. Then I’d be able to put bows in!”  
  
 _I’d jump out the window before I’d let you do that. I don’t care if I’d break my legs doing it. Save me some dignity, will you?_  
  
“Or maybe she can give you tiger stripes. Ooh that would be so pretty!” Emi ran the brush through again, her imagination not slowing her down a bit. “I wish I was a tiger. But my sign is a rat. Or is it a pig? Well I don’t want to be an icky rat or a fat piggy. I want to be a tiger!” Emi bounced a little on her bed, giving Artemis an uncomfortable jolt when her knee hit his stomach.   
  
But before Emi could do anymore, there was a knock at the door. It opened to reveal Emi’s mother, adorned in what was clearly an evening gown, and several pieces of glittering jewelry.   
  
“Emi dear, your father and I are going out to our party now. You should be heading to bed.”  
  
“But Mommy, I was brushing Miruku!” protested the eight year old.  
  
“It’s late Emi. You can play with him more in the morning. You need to get to bed. Did you brush your teeth?”  
  
“No Mommy.”   
  
“Then do it now and get to bed sweetheart. Margaret will be here if you need anything, okay?”  
  
“Alright Mommy.”  
  
Emi left the room, shutting the door behind her, and leaving Artemis on the bed. But Artemis chose not to take the opportunity in front of him. He was still too sore from her attempts at brushing him and everything else she’d put him through today. Instead, he savored the softness of the bed and the peace and quiet he’d been given.   
  
_There will be more opportunities anyway,_ he reasoned. He rolled over and let the soft bedding soothe his back. He wished Emi would go out more like her parents did. If she did, he’d have more rest from her constant hyperactive torture, and a better chance of getting out of here.   
  
Really, what was wrong with her? Why did she feel the need to stick around him so much?  
  
It didn’t take the subject of his thoughts long to come back, much to his disappointment. She climbed back onto the bed and drew her blankets back.   
  
“Mommy and Daddy go to so many fancy parties,” said Emi as she pulled her blankets up towards herself. She paused for a moment, before whispering, “I wish I got invited to parties. But nobody ever invites me.”  
  
Her head hit the mass of pillows and she pulled Artemis to her, as she usually did. And as usual, she fell unconscious in record time. But Artemis found sleep harder to come by.   
  
The tone of Emi’s voice, in those last few words, struck a chord in him. It sounded….well quite frankly it sounded out of place coming from the mouth of the normally excitable child.   
  
Curiosity got the better of him. So he closed his eyes and focused, reaching out into Emi’s sleeping mind for answers. He reached into the parts of the brain he knew controlled long-term memory. It was a simple enough process, just connect to the memory centers, pose mental questions, and receive answers. In a way, it was just like searching for files on a computer.   
  
He felt Emi’s grip on him tighten. Clearly he was disturbing the dream process. _Luna wouldn’t have that sort of problem_ , he mused. It was true of course. In their time as advisors, there had been a number of less than…. _honest_ sorts that had sought Her Majesty’s audience, some of which stayed at the palace for a time.  
  
One particular case came to mind, of a bold (or stupid, depending on how you looked at it) countess who had wanted to purchase a patch of crown-owned land near her disused summer home. Something in her demeanor seemed decidedly wrong. What the two advisors discovered was that she intended to mine it for rare alloys and sell them on the black market. And on top of that, she was in full knowledge of the fact that the mining would have caused the ground to collapse under a nearby village.   
  
Luna always did the searching. She had a deft telepathic touch, while his own efforts were horribly ungraceful by comparison. Nevertheless, he found what he was looking for. At his question of _friends_ , Emi’s mind came up with….nothing.   
  
He found the faces of school acquaintances, but no one that seemed truly friendly. Along with images came the emotional impressions. Rejection, irritation, hostility, mockery…  
  
Emi groaned in her sleep. Artemis could hear her heart accelerate. When he picked up footsteps in the hallways outside the room, Artemis knew he had to break the connection.   
  
The door creaked open to reveal Margaret. She was no doubt checking on the sleeping girl. As Margaret drew closer to the bed, Artemis pretended to be asleep. He felt something cold hit his ear as Margaret came around to his side.   
  
“Emi, are you alright?” Margaret sounded worried, and Artemis opened one eye to see Margaret taking hold of the girl, and that Emi was crying.  
  
“I…I had a bad dream,” said the now half-awake child, giving a sniffle.   
  
“There, there, it’s alright. The dream is gone now. You’re fine” whispered Margaret. It took a few minutes before Emi settled down and the housekeeper gently laid her back on the bed. All that time, Artemis lay there, barely moving.   
  
As he settled into proper sleep, he felt an ache in his chest.   
  


* * *

  
The next morning, Luna was left alone while Ayako was at work. The young woman had trusted Luna enough by now to leave her alone while she was at work.   
  
Luna took the opportunity to check the house and make sure everything was secure. Walking up to the front door, she closed her eyes, and focused her senses, reaching out beyond the boundaries of the house. She could hear the thoughts of the people outside.   
  
Slowly, Luna sifted through them. She recognized some of the neighbors now. She spread her search out farther, looking for Kenta.   
  
Finally, she found a stray thought, and recognized his voice. There he was, standing across the street under a tree.   
  
_Stupid Ayako…she threw me out! I should teach her a lesson._  
  
Luna’s eyes went flat. Well, he was still an unpleasant sort. The rest of his thoughts veered into ideas for revenge ranging from petty to particularly mean spirited.   
  
…And then they changed to plans to visit some sort of bar and a woman who, from the mental images that accompanied the thought, was quite poorly attired. The thoughts that followed were rather crass, and Luna shut them out immediately. How Ayako could have ever fallen for him was a mystery, and Luna thanked the great Lunar Goddess that Ayako had changed her mind.  
  
Luna felt a vein begin to throb in her head. This man reminded her so much of the stereotypes that surrounded men on the Moon and Venus, stereotypes many other men had tried to fight against.   
  
She remembered dear Artemis Antonius, and how polite and considerate he was. When he first introduced himself to Serenity, he spoke to her, Luna, and Artemis at length about the literacy gap between the genders, how 30% of boys across the kingdom were functionally illiterate, and the studies he brought to validate the number.    
  
The difference between him and Kenta was practically a canyon.  
  
 _Best to try and get him to go away on his own._ So Luna reached into his brain and prodded his amygdala with a fear response. Nothing overpowering, but a subtle sense of unease about the house that would make him walk away and stay away, for a while at least.   
  
Some individuals she knew on the Moon would have realized if or when Luna tried something like this. Generally if someone had a strong enough mind, or was a telepath themselves, they would be able to resist. Neptunians most certainly wouldn’t fall for something like this very easily, even for someone with Luna’s ESP skills.   
  
But Kenta? Luna snorted. She hadn’t been around him for very long, but from his general impression, she highly doubted he possessed the self-awareness or mental fortitude to even know he was being manipulated.   
  
Luna’s assessment turned out to be correct. Kenta’s thoughts turned uncertain, and she sensed his presence moving away from the neighborhood, out of her range.   
  
_Good, that Neanderthal is gone. Now to make sure the house is secure._  
  
She made a loop around the house. The alarm system seemed sufficient enough. It wasn’t like the alarm systems back during the Silver Millennium, but it was perfectly effective for what it had to do. The door was solid as well, along with the lock.   
  
She went through each room, bottom to top, checking every window. All of them had locks on them, and all of those were in good shape.  
  
 _Everything seems secure. At least there’s no particular opportunities for him to get in._  
  
It was while Luna was on the second floor that she noticed the rope dangling from the ceiling. Hadn’t Ayako mentioned something about an attic?  
  
As unlikely as it was, the attic could still be a point of entry. So Luna hopped up on a file cabinet in the hallway and grabbed at the rope. A wooden folding ladder came down smoothly before touching the hallway floor.   
  
Luna hopped up the stairs into the attic. Everything seemed especially dusty. Ayako must not have gone up here in quite some time.   
  
The attic only had one window, situated across the room from the ladder. It was equally coated in dust, distorting the sunlight that came through it. Boxes of all sorts, and an old vanity desk, stood piled under and next to the window.   
  
Luna moved across the filthy floor before hopping up on the vanity and moving to the windowsill. The lock was old, and simple in design. It didn’t seem as solid as the other locks, and Luna wasn’t sure if the house alarm was connected to it.   
  
But then again, the lock wasn’t _flimsy_ looking, and it would certainly be difficult for Kenta to access this window in either the day or night time. It was at the front of the house, and he’d need a rather tall ladder. On top of that, the items pushed in front of the windowsill would make entry more difficult. Still, she should send a telepathic hint to Ayako to make sure the alarm was connected here.   
  
Luna backed away, ready to move on from the attic, when her paw slipped on the dust and grime of the windowsill. Suddenly she found herself falling backwards right into a large cardboard box, dust kicking up in her wake.   
  
She coughed. “Well, that wasn’t one of my best landings.” As she got back on her paws, she took a look at the contents that had cushioned her fall. The item she was laying on appeared, ironically enough, to be a small blue colored round bed with a cushion for a mattress. It was a thick cushion, but not too hard, and the entire bed was covered in a thin layer of dust.   
  
She saw something that was small and tree shaped, with a platform on top and a tunnel leading up to it from the base. What it was for, she wasn’t really sure. There was a plastic ball of some sort, multicolored and five inches across, that jingled when she pushed against it. It was less of a “ball” and more of a polyhedron. Some of the sides had mirrors, some had rubber pieces that looked fairly chewed, and still other sides were covered in soft material of some sort.   
  
There were also several stuffed mice scattered throughout the box. As she stepped on some of them in order to look around, one of them squeaked. And a few others had the faint scent of something absolutely _delightful._ Finally, Luna spotted what appeared to be a small, cyan leather collar. She picked it up. The metal tag attached to it jangled. The characters engraved on the little silver tag read “Hana”.   
  
“What’s this doing open?”  
  
Luna turned her head. That was Ayako’s voice. _She must have forgotten something._ Luna tried to leap out of the box, but failed on the first attempt. As she readied herself to try again, Ayako’s face hovered over her.   
  
The bibliophile looked at her in awkward silence, her eyes wide, but her actual gaze strangely far away. Luna gave a light mew to try and dissuade any reprimand. Ayako usually found that adorable. She knew it was rather pathetic. But it was better to play the part of the innocent cat. The collar was still hanging off one of her paws.   
  
In a flash, Ayako pulled Luna free, hoisting her into the air by her armpits. “What do you think you’re doing in there?!”  
  
The sheer volume of the question made Luna wince. The young woman had never spoken to her like that before, nor had she looked at Luna so…coldly.  
  
It came as another shock when Luna was practically thrown to the floor. Luna managed to make a proper landing to avoid true injury and turned back to stare at Ayako slack jawed.   
  
“Don’t you ever go in there again Luna. Do you understand me? _Never._ ” Ayako said icily, her entire form stiff. “That was very, very bad. And stay out of the attic. You should _never_ be up here. Now get out.”  
  
Luna stood there, frozen, uncomprehending of this sharp change in demeanor. What in the world had gotten into her?  
  
When she didn’t move, Ayako’s cool demeanor cracked, revealing pure rage, like burning lava breaking through to the surface. Ayako grabbed a nearby broom and swung it at her. “ _GET OUT!_ ”  
  
Dumbfounded, Luna barely dodged it before fleeing down the attic steps as fast as she could. As she bolted away, unsure what had come over the normally kind woman, she could hear the sounds of heavy sobbing behind her.


	5. Loneliness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters within it. Those belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do not make any money off of this whatsoever. I do however own any original characters within these stories. 
> 
> Author’s Note: So here it is. Happy Halloween to everybody. I guess this counts as a Halloween treat. I am so very sorry it took me so long to get this out. I’m going to try harder at getting this done, along with my latest story, The Lost Boy, for the Naruto fandom. 
> 
> From now on, I’ll be putting updates regarding my stories, as well as any writing advice I can think of, on my DA profile. You’ll find it easily enough just by looking up this story or any of my others. 
> 
> In addition, this story has a custom cover image. You can't see it here, but you will on places like DA or FF. I encourage you to check them out, and check out the artist's other work. She's a very dear friend of mine who also serves as my sounding board.

Chapter 5: Loneliness

For the next hour or so, Luna stayed out of Ayako’s way, actively avoiding her in the house. The young woman seemed to have completely abandoned the idea of going back into work, instead doing various chores, going from room to room.

After the initial shock, Luna tried to make sense of what had happened. Why had she had such a sharp reaction? Luna didn’t even need a psychic connection to feel the pain and misery coming off of the young woman like ocean waves.

Finally, after so much oppressive silence, Luna heard activity in the library, and her curiosity got the better of her. She pushed open the already ajar door. Ayako was seated in the arm chair, legs tucked in, staring down at her lap. The curtain of her hair kept Luna from seeing her face.

Luna took a step closer, and Ayako turned her head. The Mauian could clearly see the wet streak’s on the woman’s face, even at that distance, placed as they were below a pair of red, puffy eyes. Luna stopped, ready to leave in case Ayako still didn’t want her around.

“Don’t leave,” she whispered. “Come here Luna, please.” The last word was so soft and desperate, and Luna complied, hopping up into the woman’s lap. She stroked Luna’s fur slowly.

“I’m so sorry Luna. I…shouldn’t have treated you that way. I just…” Her body shook, and Luna nuzzled her cheek against her hand. Ayako smiled at the sign of encouragement.

“Her name was Hana,” Ayako said finally. “She was the cat I had before you. I named her that because she was born in spring.” Fresh tears pricked her eyes. “She hadn’t been born long before I got her. We were together so long, and she was so small. She used to sit in my lap when I read, just like you.”

Ayako reached for a nearby tissue box and blew her nose. “She wasn’t entirely healthy. After a while, the veterinarians found she had a heart condition. They gave me the medicine for it and I gave it to her on time, every time, like clockwork. But then…”

Her voice cracked. “Then one day last year, I was going out to a soccer match with Kenta. He’d just gotten the tickets that morning and sprung it on me. But I said I’d go.

“But he ended up being off schedule, and it pulled me off schedule too. It was close to Hana’s medicine time when we were about to leave. I wanted to take a few minutes and give it to her a little early, but Kenta insisted we had to go, and I could just give it to her later. He practically pushed me out the door.”

The woman’s face twisted into a grimace. “He told me that if I really loved him, I wouldn’t make us late. He was the one that threw us off, but I listened to him anyway. I… I wish I hadn’t. When I got home…” her gaze turned to the shelves, growing distant. “Hana was dead. She’d had a heart attack.”

Luna’s chest ached, and she found herself pulling closer to the girl in response. It explained a few things, things Luna hadn’t paid much attention to before, how Ayako already had cat food for Luna to eat on that very first day, the odd exchange between her and Mai that time in the bookstore, and Ayako’s nightmare.

Ayako reciprocated Luna’s actions by hugging the cat tighter. “It was all my fault. If I’d taken those extra minutes to give Hana her medication, she might not have died. She died because of me, and the worst part is that she died all _alone._ ”

“I felt so guilty, so… _angry_ at myself. But Kenta didn’t really care. I realized what he was and threw him out. I…I couldn’t even look at Hana’s things anymore. So I just threw them in a box in the attic.”

She stroked Luna again. “When I saw you in there, I felt all that anger and sadness come back. I never wanted to hurt you, I just… I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

Her chest ached again, like an icicle had been jammed into her heart. A part of her wanted to calm the girl as she did that first night. Even now, the feverish words of that nightmare took on a new, saturnine weight. But the logical part of her brain just managed to stop her. It was too dangerous to try that when she was awake. So instead, she just nuzzled her cheek against Ayako’s arm. 

Ayako let out a small sob. “Thank you, Luna.”

* * *

The morning after was an awkward one for Artemis. If Emi had any lingering problems from the nightmares he’d accidentally induced the night before, it didn’t show. She was still the same ball of energy that bounced in her seat at the thought of going to the park with her parents, and still just as frustrating and painful in her interactions with him.

And yet, Artemis knew now, the real reason she gave him so much attention was because she lacked anyone else to give it to.

These thoughts stayed at the forefront of his mind, even as he was dragged along on the outing. Ironically enough, it was the very same park she’d found him in.

The warm sun felt good on his skin after spending so much time inside. It was a small gift Artemis was thankful for, even as Emi proceeded to play on the playground area, dragging him along in her ever strong, ever constant grip.

Emi’s parents were seated on one of the multitude of nearby benches, chatting among themselves as they kept an eye on their daughter. In between being spun around in Emi’s arms, Artemis saw Emi’s mother suddenly pointing over to her right.

“Dear, aren’t those the Inoguchis over there?”

“I think you’re right. Emi, come along, we need to speak to some friends.”

Emi had been in the middle of another pirouette when her parents had called. She stopped sharply to face her parents. “Okay Daddy,” she answered with some disappointment.

Artemis allowed his dizziness to fade before he observed the couple. They were young, both around mid to late twenties if Artemis had to guess, though Artemis wasn’t entirely sure. Human ages were harder to get a fix on after a certain point, what with their seemingly short lifespans and faster rate of aging after maturity.

They certainly seemed to be in the same social position as Emi’s parents, what with the similarities in clothing quality. Artemis also noted the rather ornate necklace hanging around the woman’s neck, complimented by a pair of shimmering earrings. A bright ruby ring also sparkled in the sunlight, though Artemis almost missed it, obscured as it was by the husband’s hand which was wrapped gently around hers. 

Greetings were given, and Artemis received a few compliments his way, as well as some gentle petting from the woman, who he learned was Kiko Inoguchi.

The collective conversation between the four adults quickly turned to what Artemis could tell was some sort of business venture, though without context many of the details were lost on him. Noticing that Emi had been strangely still, he looked up at her from his position in her arms.

Her face was stuck in a frown, and she shifted slightly. The look in her eyes was one Artemis recognized all too well.

It was one of complete and utter boredom that children often got when stuck somewhere with their parents. He recalled Princess Serenity having that look, though her features were hard to pin down.

He also recalled Princess Mina having that look many, many times. With her, it often meant trouble, and her two caretakers were always quick to spot that face and take preventative measures before she could think of something to alleviate her boredom that would no doubt cause a potential headache, or a spectacular mess, whichever came first.

Without a word to her parents, Emi wandered back over to where she’d been. “I hate it when Mommy and Daddy start talking about stuff like that. They’ll be talking _forever._ ” The last word was spoken with a distinct whine only children were capable of.

She took another glance back at the quartet. “I wanted them to play with me today…” she muttered, loneliness clouding her eyes.

Artemis felt a stab at his heart. But at that same moment, a faint sound reached his ears, a voice far enough away that only his feline ears could pick up.

“I wish we hadn’t moved.” Accompanying the phrase was a thought that was strong enough and loud enough that Artemis picked it up without any mental effort. _I wish I had someone to play with._

An idea suddenly presented itself to Artemis, and he focused his mind to find the source of the voice and thought. It didn’t take long to locate them. He made a quick mental inquiry as Emi walked around the park, and when he’d finished, Artemis smiled to himself.

What he did next was a bit of telekinetic manipulation. He applied a mental shove to the inert air around them, creating a simple current.

Applying telekinetic force to solid objects wasn’t hard at all for most of the cats on Mau. It was a lot like grabbing an object with your actual paws. But manipulating air molecules? That was something his kind found quite difficult.

Most who tried it accomplished the task by creating a wall of psychic energy, much like the way others used a spoon or shovel. This technique however, was obvious to spot, since solid psychic walls tended to be fairly visible.

Artemis however, had developed a level of skill so he could manipulate air molecules without doing something so conspicuous. It was something he’d been able to do for several years.

His efforts were rewarded when Emi’s sunhat was blown off of her head. “Hey, come back here!” she shouted, chasing after the hat as it was whisked away further into the park.

Artemis, still trapped in her arms, was jostled by her movements. It took every bit of his concentration to keep up the illusion he’d created.

When a high-pitched “oomph” was heard, Emi came to a sudden stop, and Artemis practically bit his tongue to avoid yelling. _I think I just got whiplash._

What the two of them had found was another girl. She was the same age as Emi, though a couple inches taller and thinner. Her hair, which fell to the middle of her back, was a deep jet black. Emi’s sun hat was clutched in her hands, having whacked her in the face.

Her brown eyes looked at Emi curiously, then back at the hat, before returning to Emi. “Is this yours?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s mine,” replied Emi, suddenly shy. “The wind blew it away.”

Artemis chose that moment to let out a small mew, drawing the new girl’s attention. She smiled when she looked down at him. “He’s cute. What’s his name?” she asked as she petted him on the head.

Emi’s shyness seemed to ebb away. “I call him Miruku ‘cause he’s milk colored. I found him in this park all alone.”

“Awww, poor kitty” replied the girl as she scratched under his chin.

Since both girls had their attention on him, Artemis took the chance to use his telekinesis again and whip the wind back up, toppling over the bag the other girl had set on the grass.

“Hey!” cried the girl as looked back over at the bag. “Stupid wind…”

“I don’t know what’s with it either,” replied Emi. “Mommy said there wasn’t supposed to be any today.”

“I just got this too,” complained the girl as she bent down to pick up the contents that had fallen out.

Emi took one look at the green and blue item of clothing in the girl’s hand. “You take gymnastics class?” she asked, pointing at the leotard.

“Not yet,” answered the girl. “My mom and I just moved here, and she just signed me up for a class. I haven’t even met Mrs. Tarumi.”

At this statement, Emi’s face lit up in surprise. “You’re in Mrs. Tarumi’s gymnastics class too?!”

The girl nodded “Uh huh.” The girl’s feet shifted. “What’s she like?”

Emi’s face brightened even more, seeming every bit like a miniature star. “She’s great! She’s really nice and really fun and whenever it’s anybody’s birthday she always has a cake brought in. The trampoline is super fun!”

The girl then returned Emi’s smile. Whatever tension had come over her was gone, banished by Emi’s words and sudden enthusiasm.

“I’m Emi. What’s your name?”

“I’m Hitomi,” answered the girl.

At that moment, something seemed to occur to Emi, and her smile dimmed just a fraction. “Do… Do you want to come over to my house? I have lots of toys we could play with, and I could show you some of the things Mrs. Tarumi has taught us how to do.”

The other girl just nodded her head. “Sure.”

Emi’s smile threatened to break off her face and launch skyward. “Really?!”

Hitomi nodded again. “Uh huh. I-“

“Emi! There you are!” cried Emi’s mother as she caught up to the girl. “You really shouldn’t wander off like that without saying anything.”

“Mommy, this is Hitomi. She’s going to be in my gymnastics class. Can she come over today, please?”

The older woman blinked, turning her gaze from her daughter to the other girl. She started to say something, only to stop, her brain stalling at the alien idea of her daughter having someone to invite over to their home.

“Um… o-of course sweetie. But we’ll have to check with her parents first.”

Emi let out a cheer, and as Artemis watched silently in her arms, it took everything he had not to smile with her.

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with ups and downs for Luna and her human friend, not unlike riding on a stormy sea. Ayako’s tears lasted for ten more minutes before she decided to get back to her normal routine.

Well, not _entirely_ normal. Ayako left for work once again, but decided to take Luna with her. The young woman offered an apologetic smile to every customer that asked about her late opening, giving them some excuse about a little disaster involving a mess in her kitchen.

“Are you sure that’s what happened?” asked Mai when she stopped by that day.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” replied Ayako, smiling again.

“Your eyes are red and puffy,” shot back her friend flatly.

“It’s just allergies. Trust me,” she gave a fleeting glance at Luna, “I’m fine.”

Mai gave her a dubious expression that indicated anything _but_ belief, but she seemed to accept it.

Ayako spent her lunch break curled up next to Luna in that same chair, reading whatever book came to her mind. At one point, Ayako froze on a page, and Luna could see a tremor in her hands. A telepathic glance into her mind revealed sparks of the earlier anguish, little nagging thoughts that were trying to burn their way back to the surface.

The Mauian didn’t know what set it off, and in truth, it didn’t particularly matter to her. What mattered was keeping it from taking hold. She let out an excited mew, pawing at Ayako’s hand.

Ayako blinked, startled by the sudden contact. “Oh, sorry Luna” she said, before continuing on, and scratching behind her ear as a means of additional apology.

The day went on like that, Luna giving little nudges whenever Ayako’s thoughts seemed to drift, doing her best to pull her from the deep pit that had been formed of her sorrows. It was a task that required some vigilance.

But in this case, Luna didn’t mind at all. It was the least she could do for the kind young woman that had taken her in.

By the time the two left back for Ayako’s house, her moments of relapse became far less frequent. A bright smile was back on her face as she rode back home.

Dinner was served, and the two ended their night with another TV marathon. The subject was some mystery series which managed to stump Luna several times.

When Ayako had turned out the lights, Luna found herself nestling into her own little bed. She didn’t need to pull the blankets very tight. The night air outside had turned chilly, and Ayako had kept the house warmer in response.

As Luna closed her eyes, she took a glance at the young woman’s care free dreaming face, and smiled. Perhaps, with this emotional wound starting to heal, things could go back to being the peaceful, normal life Luna had actually come to enjoy. 

* * *

_The air was cold. No, not simply cold. It was frigid. Snow crunched between her paws, a thick blanket that she somehow knew was yards deep._

_She was in some sort of arctic environment, but something in it seemed off. Wintery places like this, while harsh, had their own sort of beauty to them. The poles of Mercury were a prime example. The aurora glimmering against the snow and stars made for a spectacular view._

_This place, however, was simply harsh. The freezing wind whipped as a gale against her coat, cutting through to her core. Here, there was no aurora. There were no stars, not even a sun or moon. All that was here was an expanse of pure darkness against snow. Not a single soul was there besides her, not a heartbeat in the miles the snow seemed to stretch on._

_It was a frozen, empty wasteland._

_“Hello?” she called out. The only thing to reply to her was the wind, screaming in her ears as it blasted against her face, making her shut her eyes against the terrible sting._

_But mixed with the howling winds, Luna heard something else. Buried deep within was another sound, something like a growl, or maybe a hiss._

_And yet, the sound wasn’t just a sound. It was a feeling too, sound and feeling at all once. It was a psychic tug on Luna’s mind, beckoning her forward. She grit her teeth in an effort to stop her legs._

_In the distance, she saw a light. She moved towards it, crawling against the wind. For all that the air hurt, her limbs, strangely, felt no numbness._

_She climbed up to the crest of a hill. Looking down, she saw the endless white expanse was broken by a large, deep crater. Patches of rock and earth were covered in layers of ice._

_At the very center was a white crystal, standing upright and buried deep into the hard soil. It was massive in size, at least fifteen feet tall. It glowed, and pulsed with light, but only faintly, seeming somehow like a creature struggling for breath. Its front possessed a long, deep crack._

_Before she could take another step, the wind whipped again, and the feeling grew stronger. It was like a call, a message echoing in her skull._

_…Come to me. Come to me. Set me free. Come… come… come…_

_The sensation of cold on her skin was overtaken by a feeling of both fear and nausea. She shuddered, feeling as if something had slithered across her body._

_Luna knew this feeling. She’d felt it before upon the Moon, those countless eons ago, dark and terrible. It had been…_

_In that instant, the ground itself shook, and the dark, empty sky filled with two red eyes. She knew those eyes. They were the eyes of that thing, the creature that had stood among the ruins of the Moon’s capital, the creature Queen Serenity had battled._

_Its mouth opened, looking like a deep red gash in the heavens. Its eyes seemed to focus on her, bore into her as it loomed overhead._

_The creature in the sky roared, and a wave of darkness came crashing down like an avalanche._

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: And that was the end of chapter 1. I hope you all enjoyed it. And please remember to not only read, but review. All of us authors here need it to get better. But please no flames.


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